


What the Water Gave Me

by happypugfics



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-23
Updated: 2016-07-03
Packaged: 2018-04-23 01:44:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 113,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4858436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/happypugfics/pseuds/happypugfics
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Skye wouldn't be put off to living on an island if she got to escape it to go to art school on the mainland, except she doesn't.  She wouldn't be put off to living on an island if her only friend wasn't constantly hot and cold between 'friendly' and abusive.  She wouldn't be so put off to living on an island if it just wasn't so boring.  Well, as Skye is about to find out, life is not so boring.  All it needed was a pair of fins.<br/>Mermaid AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Heavy In Your Arms

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own the characters. All characters belong to Marvel.
> 
> Also obviously "What the Water Gave Me" by Florence + the Machine is the theme song :]

“No, I don’t want to go to your stupid boat party, Ward,” She shrugged the taller man off, having been annoyed with his persistent presence for the past half hour.  He kept messing around in her room, flipping through her sketch books, messing up her desk.  When he almost tipped over a sculpture by her bed, she panicked.

“Oh my _god_ , fine!  I’ll go, just s-stop touching everything!”  The girl was by her nightstand in an instant, carefully putting the statue back into place as she glared over at the dark haired boy by the door.  He had a wicked proud grin on his face and it made her want to throw a soft ball at his face.

“It’ll be fun, Skye.  You won’t even be in the water.  You’ll be in a boat.  You can wear that stupid orange vest if you want,” he was twirling one of her colored pencils around in his hand, which she snatched from him and put back on her desk.

“I’m scared of the boats too, not like you care,” The brunette mumbled and turned, shoving Ward out of her room, “And I’m not wearing that ugly ass vest.”

The two walked down the hallway of the small two story teal colored house and down the stairs, emerging into the kitchen, where, Ward snatched an apple off the counter on his way out the front door.

“It starts in an hour, kiddo, so you better get to the dock before then,” He took a large chunk out of the apple before shoving it back into Skye’s hand, who glared down at it in disgust as the man walked down the small concrete path to the white gate to leave the Johnson property.

“Don’t call me _kiddo_!  We’re the same age, goddamnit Ward!”  She threw the apple as hard as she could and it hit the boy in the back of his head.  He shouted, throwing up both of his hands back at her, middle finger sticking straight up into the air.

“You throw like a girl, Johnson!!”

“Fuck off, Ward!”

Skye slammed the door shut and stomped angrily back into her mother’s house.  She was the manager of the best diner on the island, downtown on the pier.  She had late hours, which usually led her daughter to do as she pleased.  She took shifts at the diner too, sometimes, when she wasn’t in class, but most of the time she was wandering around the island somewhere, trying to find something to turn into art.

She was a third year art major at the island's only community college.  Not many people left to go to college elsewhere.  Skye had tried to be one of them, but her grades from high school hadn’t been the best, and consequently not good enough to get in anywhere.  She regretted it, having run around with Ward and his gang wreaking havoc on the island and being a general idiot.  Yet here she was, still hanging out with him and now, apparently, going to his big beginning of the school year party.  On the fucking ocean no less.

Skye hated the water.  Highly hydrophobic did not even begin to cover it.  If anything more than a shower she felt herself start to panic.  Nevertheless, the hour passed, and then another and then another and Skye found herself out on her, for lack of a better term, ‘best friend’s’ boat.

She had managed to find herself a corner, by the bow, avoiding everyone in the center and the stern dancing to the ridiculously loud music and yelling at each other.  Empty beer bottles and red solo cups rolled around on the deck and the sun had long since gone down.  She was surprised the local coast guard hadn’t driven by to put a stop to the nonsense.

Ward had long since come over and thrust a drink into her hands and had a short chat and left.  The drink, she promptly dumped overboard and turned her attention to the moon shimmering out on the waves.  It was a nice picture, and so, to hopefully try and speed the night up some, the artist took out a tiny sketchbook from her satchel and started to draw.

The loud music and flashing lights of the boat attracted more than just the attentions of the students on board. Normally just the presence of people scattered them like a fox in a hen house, but not Jemma. Jemma was different, she was curious. The rest of her pod was very adamant about staying away from humans, especially her older sister, but it didn't seem to have much of an effect on the young girl.

Humans were exciting. Of course Jemma loved the sea and her pod, but she wanted to see what else was out there. She'd been to almost every ocean during migrations and relocations, and Bobbi had tried to convince her that she had seen the whole world, but Jemma didn't think so. That wasn't the world she really wanted to see. The world she wanted to explore was the one of the creatures on the tiny floating island. She wanted to know how they had strings of tiny suns lighting their moving island...and why were they moving their bodies like that when the black boxes were singing? How did the black boxes even sing?

Jemma wanted to know the answers to everything, but she knew she couldn't. She'd been told more times than she could count that people were dangerous.

Jemma sank back under the surface of the water, hair previously sticking to her head now flowing freely around her. If anyone saw her, the consequences would be severe. She wasn't even supposed to be here observing so she definitely wouldn't be able to get the answers to any of her questions. It had taken quite an effort to get out here to take a look, Bobbi kept a close eye on her most of the time.   
            All thoughts of her pod drifted out of her head as she swam under the strange floating island, propelling herself gracefully with her tail.

She reappeared on the other side, her head emerging just beside a white wall. She'd never gotten this close before, and it was thrilling. Her heart hammered in her chest for just a moment she feared she would be seen. Curiosity won out, though. She stuck to the side, her head barely above the surface, listening and observing. Their music was strange, much louder and more blaring than it sounded whenever she and her pod sung together sometimes.

            The noise wasn’t at all distracting.  Skye had long since been able to tune it out but what she couldn’t stand was that the dancing had migrated to the front of the boat and were bumping into her.  They had already caused her to mess up twice, and the third time her pencil slipped and went tumbling into the sea.  “Perfect…”  She was too afraid to lean the few inches over and look for it, not that she could have reached it if she saw it anyway.  There was no way she was touching it.

After being bumped a fourth time, the brunette shoved her sketchbook back into her back and wormed her way through the small crowd of people towards the now, less populated stern.  Careful to avoid the cups and broken glass, she almost missed the ice.  Apparently someone was drunk enough to have spilled an entire cooler onto the deck, which seemed to be the reason for the party migrating to the other end.

Skye almost fell, catching herself on the railing and clutching her satchel strap with one hand, having suffered a miniature heart attack.  She was anything but seaworthy and she already regretted two hours ago having stepped foot onto this sinking death contraption.  Blood and music still pounding in her ears, she missed it.

“Grant, you idiot!  S-schtop playin’ with t-the wheel!  You’re drunk!”

“So are _you_ , Kara!  It’s my fucking boat!”

“It’s your _daaaaad’s_ boat!!”

Ward had a solo cup of some concoction that he was throwing back, using the helm of the ship to steady himself until he staggered, causing the wheel to turn sharply to the left.  The rigging followed suit and by the time Skye had caught her breath from having almost slid on ice, the closed mainsail and boom had swung around and the thick wooden rigging hit her square in the head.

She didn’t have time to yell before the boom swung all the way around, knocking the young artist off the side of the boat and into the water.  She collided with a splash that couldn’t be heard over the pounding music.  Skye’s body started to sink, which it would have done anyway had she been conscious because she didn’t know how to swim.  

The yelling and blaring music had been more of a pain to Jemma than any real threat, but when she heard a loud splash she was startled back into reality. That could have been a person that just jumped into the water, a person that could see her. She was way too close, Bobbi had probably been right. Jemma immediately began to panic and dove underwater, trying to get a good look at whatever had just entered the ocean with her.

Jemma didn't have to know anything about humans to know that something was wrong with this one. As far as Jemma knew, humans weren't really meant to be in the water like she was and would probably try to swim, not just sink like that. Concern bubbled up in her chest as she watched a female slowly descend, seemingly unconscious. Bobbi had said humans were violent, but did they really hurt their own species? Was this human hurt?

Directly under the boat, Jemma's mental debate with herself and her own imagined version of Bobbi continued in her head. Humans were bad, that's what she always knew. But this human didn't look very threatening at all, she was just the same except for legs rather than a long tail. If the stranger's people really had hurt her and abandoned her, Jemma couldn't very well leave the woman to drown, could she?

Jemma's head hurt at just the suggestion of helping the quickly sinking human, and she could already hear Bobbi in her head telling her not to be stupid and to just come home. She couldn't, though. Something about this human made Jemma feel compelled to help her, not run away. Nobody seemed to be helping her, Jemma was apparently all she had left. If the situation was reversed, Jemma would want someone to save her, so she had to do the same, right?

Without thinking much longer and now sporting a "to hell with it" attitude, Jemma surged forward and practically tackled the woman, wrapping her arms around her torso and holding her close while she continued to pump her tail behind her, headed for the nearest stretch of land. This was very strange and Jemma couldn't believe she was actually touching, holding, a human. _Human. Humans can't hold their breath._

Jemma shot back up to the surface, grabbing onto the back of the woman's excessive clothing and yanking her head above the waves. She was still breathing, and it made Jemma very relieved, even though she wasn't supposed to care about the life of humans.

It was much more difficult and time trying, but Jemma managed to haul the human all the way to a sandy bank surrounded by large rocks and boulders without letting her head slip underwater. Jemma couldn't imagine having to stay up like this all the time.

Jemma only realized the real task once she got too close to shore to swim. She couldn't very well drop the girl here, she would just float back out to sea.

Grunting with effort, Jemma dragged herself up the sand a few inches with her arms before stopping and pulling the woman with her. She repeated the process what felt like a thousand times before she finally got the woman she'd saved far enough onto the shore to avoid the tide, leaving a deep track back down to the waves where she'd dragged her up.

Jemma finally let go of her clothing and took a deep breath, several, actually. She was breaking a hundred rules right now and she knew it. For one, she shouldn't have even been within ten miles of that floating island, two, she wasn't supposed to touch or go near a human, much less carry one back to safety, and she definitely wasn't supposed to be out of the water and on the sand like this. She was hardly mobile and it was very unsafe for them, lying about in the open for any human to discover.

Jemma wanted to stay and look the woman over a little more, but she wanted- needed- to be gone before she woke up. Jemma placed her hand over the woman's chest once more to make sure she was breathing and her heart was beating before she dragged herself back to the water to hopefully get back to her pod before anyone realized she was missing at night.

No matter how hard she tried, Jemma couldn't get the girl out of her mind as she swam back. She would be fine. Jemma was worried and there was no denying it, but she still wanted to know why.

__________

            The words ‘sweet Jesus’ were followed by a long groan while the brunette touched a hand to her forehead.  It hurt.  A _lot_.  It was throbbing so much it took her longer for her brain and body to adjust before she could even think about opening her eyes.

Had she passed out at the party?  Skye couldn’t believe it.  She hadn’t even had anything to drink.  The sound of gulls and another groan finally spurred the girl into action and light flooded in when she opened her eyes.  The hand on her head flew quickly to shield her eyes and bits of sand fell down into her face, making her cough and quickly sit up to brush it all away.

“Who is the idiot who brought a bucket of sand onto the boa-”  Eyes wide and mouth agape, Skye stopped speaking as she gazed out over the small grotto she was in and out past to the ocean.  The _ocean_.  She was on the shore, and Skye sat dumbfounded there in the sand for a series of seconds before scrambling up out of the sand as a wave startled her, creeping up the shoreline as the tide began to come in.

Her head started to throb again with all the quick movements, and as she moved to hold her forehead again, it all came crashing back.  Literally.  She had slipped on the ice and the last thing she remembered was the rigging hitting her hard in the head.

“Ow…” She rubbed her forehead some more and looked around her, taking note of her location, “I must have fallen over…” And if she had…then how did she end up here on the shore?  Skye was certainly no expert, but she had been fairly certain they were too far out in the boat for her to just wash up.  Her eyes darted down to the sand as she tried to steady herself and her thoughts.

Once she focused, she noticed the place she had been lying, now all messed up by her scrambling about, but there was another interesting pattern in the sand.  The groove was deep and looked to be right alongside the path she had washed up by.  Only, this meant she hadn’t washed up at all.  Someone…or something had brought her back.

“But…what though?”  Skye hadn’t seen any dolphins out on the water last night.  She had heard stories about the water mammals saving people, but she doubted it would have beached itself for her.  The marks were both fairly far up.  Whatever had brought her knew where the tideline ended and was smart enough to put her there so she wouldn’t float back out to sea and die after all that effort.  Something had put in the effort in the first place.

These were all really the least of her concerns though.  Her clothes were still damp and clingy, and now covered in globs of sand.  Her hair felt sticky and frizzy and just as equally covered in sand as the rest of her.  When she checked her satchel, she was even more disappointed to find that her sketch book was ruined, soaked through to the backing and still dripping, pages having bleed through on one another.

“Damnit…” she kicked up a good bit of sand and it caught the wind, coming back into her face, which only made her groan again and string another few expletives together.

The morning sun was already hot and she felt it drying her off fast.  She’d been missing all night, which wasn’t unusual…Ward probably hadn’t even noticed and her mother was used to her not turning up again till morning.  She doubted anyone had searched for her and Skye found she couldn’t really blame them.  This was common behavior for her.  Being missing, not falling over the side of a boat and almost drowning in the night, but still.

Whatever miracle had brought her back to the island was long gone by now, the tide having made sure any other traces were gone, so Skye trekked her way back up through the sand and up and over the large wall of rocks to the other side of the beach.  She didn’t know how far away she was from the nearest access point and when she tried her phone, of course, it shorted out.  She was going to need a large bowl of rice, or a new phone, and Skye wasn’t sure she could even afford the rice.


	2. Strangeness and Charm

            Jemma's worry for her mystery girl only seemed to increase overnight. She'd made it home without drawing much attention to herself and her pod was none the wiser about her encounter with the human the previous night, but that didn't stop her from feeling concerned. She kept thinking about what else she should have done, and she felt guilty for leaving the human alone and unconscious like that. What if she was lost, too injured to find her way back to whatever family system the humans had?

She felt like she should have stayed until the girl woke up, to make sure that she really was alright before she left. At what cost, though? Would it be worth it to expose herself and her family just to make sure this one girl was alright, even though she shouldn't care at all? If it had been Bobbi or any other member of her pod, they would have left the woman to drown.

The least she could do was go back to the beach where she had left the human girl and see if she'd gotten up and left. It wouldn't truly help her, but at least it would satisfy her worry and curiosity if she knew everything had turned out alright.

Jemma sped off again, rattling off an excuse about going to look for clams to Bobbi when her sister eyed her in question. It wasn't difficult for Jemma to find the same beach again, she often explored during her free time and she knew the entire area- even the populated area- like the scales of her own tail.

The beach Jemma had left the girl on was actually a very convenient location. It had plenty of large boulders sitting both on shore and sticking out of the water, so there were plenty of places for her to hide. She pressed her back up against one of them, slowly twisting her body to peek around it and towards the shore. The woman wasn't where Jemma had left her, but that didn't necessarily mean she was okay, so she kept searching. It was also the same curiosity taking hold of her decisions again, she wanted to see what this person looked like alive and well and walking around like all the rest of them.

 

______________

 

            It had been a surprisingly shorter walk the previous morning than Skye had anticipated, clocking in at around twenty-seven minutes.  She hadn’t been sure what side of the island she had been dropped on or where it was in relation to her house.  Thankfully, it hadn’t been terribly far and the path easy to remember.

“I’m going to the beach!” The shout echoed down from her room and into the kitchen while she pulled her satchel over her head and around her shoulder.  Skye was reaching for her Nikon when her mother shouted back up.

“You still have that shift at the diner tonight!!  Don’t forget!”

Skye hated working at the restaurant, even if her mother was a manager.  She was still a waitress and there was nothing creative about bussing tables, but honestly they needed the money.  She needed it for school and for art supplies and the old beach house was practically falling apart.  It could use with a new coat of paint and a fence repair.  Still, it was home.

The brunette came thudding down the stairs, grabbing a banana from the basket of fruit on the counter on her way through the kitchen, “I know mom.  I’ll be back.  I’m just getting a head start on my art projects.”

Skye was already out the screen door when her mother wished her a good day.  She would have called back but she heard the blender start up right as she closed the gate behind her.  The actual beach was only five minutes from her house.  A quick and easy walking distance.

Once she reached the sand, the young artist stopped, kneeling over to untie her shoes and string them to the back of her belt.  It was a typical island day, bright and sunny with a pleasant breeze in the air.  It made walking along the beach all the more pleasant and Skye’s memory card was already halfway full by the time she spotted the familiar grouping of rocks through her lens.

It was as good a landscape as any, so she pushed her finger down on the capture a few more times before wandering closer eyes on the ground and the sand for any signs of something interesting.  It wasn’t long before she spotted a seagull, quite enamored with a particular place in the sand.  As she got closer, it lead her to a crab, which she promptly stopped near, getting down on her knees and leaning over with the camera, trying to get as close as possible.  Pictures could be used later as references, and Skye wanted to make sure she had a good stock full in preparation for any upcoming projects.  Her classes had just started the week before and so far the only thing they had done in her Advanced Art II class was practice still life and negative space.

Jemma had to swim from rock to rock a few times before she found what she was looking for, and when she did she was more than startled. The same girl was here again, but she looked a lot different when she was dry. Her hair was dark brown, and the strands of it fell around her face and they only just didn't touch her shoulders. She looked just fine. Jemma noted that she was wearing new clothes, so she must have gotten back to wherever she lived at some point before Jemma returned.

Even though she knew she shouldn't, Jemma got closer, making her way through shallow water to a large rock that was partially on land as well. The distance between her and the stranger had to be less than a hundred yards, and it made Jemma excited. She wasn't scared like she had been last night, the woman wasn't as threatening as the people back on the boat had been. They had all been loud and rowdy, but this one seemed calm and collected. Jemma liked that.

The only thing that seemed out of the ordinary when Jemma determined that she was perfectly healthy was whatever activity the brunette was engaged in. It was strange, Jemma watched as she crouched in various places and pointed whatever was in her hands at something, bringing the thing up to her face. The odd activity made Jemma giggle a little bit, but she put her hand over her mouth to stifle it. Jemma didn't know what the girl thought she was doing, but it was funny and amusing to watch her do it anyway.

Suddenly and without warning, the human girl changed directions and faced out into the sea. Jemma's eyes widened and she turned and dove back into the water, hoping she hadn't been too slow and that the woman hadn't seen her. Maybe Bobbi was right and her curiosity finally was going to get her. She had been stupid enough to come back here a second time, after all. Only a fool would do that.

Skye's head shot up at the sound just as the shutter clicked.  She had moved so suddenly the shot was probably ruined, but waves weren't normally this loud against the beach.  Perhaps it was water hitting the group of rocks within reach, but it had also sounded a little too loud for that.  

Some junk and scrap and just general sea stuff did sometimes wash up on shore.  She had found a license plate once she had hung up in her room.  It was from Texas.  Strange that a license plate would wash up on shore, even find its way into the ocean.  Strange no less that it had been from Texas, but Skye often appreciated and utilized the things she found.  She enjoyed what the water gave her even if she didn't actually enjoy the water.

The brunette took a firm hold of her camera and started the short walk over.  There was no way she was touching the water, so she decided to climb the rocks and reach down for whatever it was that may be stuck there.  Climbing was easier said than done.  She was athletic enough, but only because she rode her bike and ran on a regular basis, but she wasn't rock climbing material...especially not in these pants.

She put her camera down on top of one of the more flat rocks and sat down, taking off her shoes in hopes to get a better grip, and then made her way up and out towards the water, trying to be careful.  They were slippery though, and honestly she should have known better.  Skye was more curious about what was over the edge than keeping herself from being exactly that, and so, when she leaned over, she slipped.

A shriek quickly resounded around the grotto followed by another loud splash, followed by some thrashing and some more screaming.  Her head went under once, twice, and the rock was too smooth to cling to. How had she found herself in this situation twice in such quick succession?!

Jemma had been about to leave, fix her mistake by getting away from the human and actually gathering clams like she'd told Bobbi she was, when she heard a deep sound, what she recognized as the underwater version of a splash. She whirled around to look back towards the rock, and sure enough, there was the girl, or her limbs at least, flailing around underwater. She rolled her eyes, almost frustrated that the human was about to drown again after she saved her only the night before.

Still, Jemma swam back as fast as she could, but she hesitated when she was a few feet away. Yes, she'd saved the girl last night, but that had been when she was unconscious. If Jemma saved her again there would be no doubt that the girl would see her. She shouldn't reveal herself, it would endanger her entire pod. Jemma backed up, but then she thought about what would happen if she made the choice to just leave. The girl would die.

Without another thought about it, Jemma moved forwards again. She grabbed the human's legs with one arm and when she fell backwards, she supported her back with the other. Jemma swam upwards and fear flooded her systems when her head came above the water, only a few inches from the wide eyes of the human girl. Jemma was holding her bridal style in the water, supporting her and keeping her from drowning, but terrified about what the girl was going to do.

"You're starting to make a habit out of this, aren't you?" She asked. Her voice sounded strained, she hadn't spoken English in such a long while since her pod rarely used it, and she wasn't sure she was even speaking it correctly based on the confused look on the girl's face.

Skye felt her head above water, air in her lungs and she felt relief.  She wasn't drowning.  Her breathing was still quick and in gasps, but that was just the lingering panic at still being in the water.  Someone was holding her.  When Skye turned her head she was met with a girl.  A swimmer?  She didn't think people came out here to swim, this part of the beach wasn't all that popular.  

When she spoke, Skye was confused.  A habit?  What was she making a habit out of?  How did she kno-

"Oh my god!"

The soaking wet brunette's eyes had scanned over the girl.  She seemed familiar and by the way she spoke to her maybe she had been at Ward's party and saw her fall in.   Her eyes landed on something shimmering below the surface.   _Scales??_

Her eyes widened even more and she looked at the stranger's face.  She was still panicking.  She was probably just hallucinating, so she shook her head, but the girl remained, big sparkling fish tail and all.

"You...you're...". Her mouth was dry all of a sudden, " Whaaat even-"

She was flailing again and managed to break away from the stranger's arms and scamper up the rest of the way into the sand, turning back around to look to see if she was still there.  She supposed she should say thank you...but she was sort of caught up in the fact that her rescuer, for a second time, was a "mermaid?! Y-you have... You uhmm..." Skye looked down at where the girl's legs were supposed to be and there were none.  She let out a strange, exasperated noise and turned around, holding her head.

"You're going crazy, you're going crazy. You must have hit your head when you fell in, oh my god..."

Jemma followed after Skye, for curiosity if nothing else. She swam up closer to the beach and ended up laying on her stomach on the sand, propped up by her elbows. She wasn't quite as far onto the shore as she was the previous night,  her tail would have been submerged had she not been holding it in the air. Her head was tilted to the side slightly in question as the girl continued to panic.

"You seem distressed." She noted as she watched. It was hard to tell whether the girl was talking to Jemma or to herself. Maybe it would be best if she took off now and let the girl think she was crazy, it would keep her secret safe, but for some reason she didn't.

The brunette opened her mouth to retort, but quickly shutting again, turning back around to look at the "mermaid".  She couldn't just start talking to her hallucinations.  This shit didn't just happen unless you took something, something strong.  Skye didn't remember taking anything at the party, certainly nothing that would last this long and absolutely nothing this morning.

"Stop talking, it's not helping," Skye held her hand out for the girl to be quiet, using her other to rub her still sore forehead.  This couldn't be real, but no matter how many times she rubbed her eyes the stranger didn't go away.

There was no way this could be real.  No way at all.  Mermaids didn't just appear and save people out of the blue, like dragons didn't just start randomly flying around about in the sky.  It just didn't happen. It was a real life thing...so why was this mermaid, albeit very attractive mermaid, laying there on the beach _talking_ to her?  Skye didn't understand.  She was definitely going crazy.

"I...I need to go." Why was she telling her hallucination she needed to leave? Courtesy?  It seemed right, it had saved her.  
" Shit..."

It had saved her.  Skye certainly knew she couldn't swim on her own and there was no way she could have made it to shore by herself.  She had already been a foot or two under.  She had been done for.  And the night before too.  She had been nearly unconscious.  She had felt her arms.  She had been carried.  The second deep groove in the sand the morning the day before accounted for this.

"Y-you're real?  You're a-actually..."

She had to sit down.  More like her legs were so wobbly she fell.  "You're a real live fucking mermaid?!"

Jemma furrowed her eyebrows, still staring at the girl, but this time with confusion. Jemma knew she hadn't spoken English in a while, but she still knew it. This girl was all over the place, first she was confused and then talking to herself, and then she said she had to leave, but she was sitting down instead. She'd told her to be quiet and stop talking, but now she was asking her a question? She didn't really understand, but she was more than intrigued. Maybe Bobbi was wrong, this girl didn't look so dangerous.

"Just like you're a real human." Jemma replied. It was almost as if saying it out loud made it real. She was actually talking to a human! A real, live, conscious human, just like she'd always wanted.

Skye wasn't really sure what she had expected.  The answer was so blunt, but also well put...she had a point.

"Wow, alright then.  Fair enough..." Her eyebrows rose in acknowledgement.  Alright, she was talking to a mermaid.  She remained quiet for another couple of seconds, swallowing to wet her dry throat as she tried to think of something to say.  She looked away for a moment, and then looked back.

Yep.  She was still there.  She was as real as life could get.

"So uhm...thanks...uhmmm," Skye motioned towards the water and sighed heavily.  She was talking to a mermaid.

"Thanks for saving me.  I uh...I can't swim too great.  Like at all.  I can't swim at all..." She adjusted herself to a better sitting position in the stand, still a good distance from the stranger in the water.  She was talking to a mermaid but she still wasn't one hundred percent sure she wouldn't wake up at some point on the beach again any moment.

"Was it you last night? I uh...fell off my friend's boat...?"

"Is that what you call it?" Jemma asked quickly. So they had a name for those little floating islands, and now she knew it. Talking to this girl seemed to be exactly what she wanted, so she continued even though she knew it was wrong.

"A boat..." She said, testing out the new addition to her vocabulary. She flicked her tail and let it fall back into the water. The girl had asked her a question about the boat though, she hadn't said it just to tell Jemma what it was.

"Yes, that was me. You took quite a spill." Jemma gave the girl a small, nervous smile. "Are you alright?"

She lived in the ocean and she didn't know what a boat was?  Skye found it strange, but as she thought about it she supposed it made sense.  She lived in the ocean and not on land so it made sense she didn't know certain words, but she did know English.  Did that mean she had met and talked to other people? Skye couldn't imagine English was the common tongue under the water.

Either way, the mermaid's smile was distracting.  The brunette had to look away, putting her hands out behind her to prop herself up as she stretched her legs out.

"Well...yeah, thanks.  Thanks for that. And for a few minutes ago..." Skye chuckled to herself a little, recalling what the stranger had said, "I guess it is becoming a habit."

Biting her lip, she sighed again.  Skye wasn't sure what all to say to a mermaid.  She had, of course, never met one before and as long as she was indulging whatever this situation was, she might as well introduce herself.  The girl had saved her twice.

"I'm uhm...I'm Skye, by the way.  Well, Daisy, like the flower, but I hate that name so I go by Skye." It occurred to her then the girl may not even know what a flower was.

Skye was right. Jemma didn't know what a flower was, but she let it slide this time. She could ask all the questions she wanted later if this human wanted to be friends like it seemed.

Jemma smiled brightly, knowing that her name was Skye made Jemma like her even more. Bobbi had to be wrong about people being terrible and dangerous, or if she was right, Skye was the exception. There was no harm in telling her her name.

"My name is Jemma." She said shyly, digging her fingers into the sand and flicking her tail. She wanted to stay longer and find out more about Skye, but a call behind her caught her attention and Jemma turned her head back towards the ocean. It was Bobbi, calling her. She'd probably figured out at this point that she wasn't gathering clams.

Jemma tried to ignore it, she really did, but the call reached her ears again, this time more firm. Their language almost sounded similar to a mix of whale and dolphin, and their ears were trained to be able to hear the pitches from very far away.

"I have to go," Jemma blurted out, twisting to face the ocean. Bobbi didn't sound happy with her.

The artist almost missed her name, too enthralled with the shimmering tail that came up out of the water when she spoke.  As an avid painter as well as sketcher, Skye found instant and deep appreciation for the mix of colors she saw glistening off the wet scales.  Mixes of pinks and purples blended into blues and teals and with the water still sparkling and catching the sun, Skye thought it looked like a galaxy or the northern lights playing across the sky.  

"Beautiful...wait, what?" She snapped to attention, hearing the girl had to leave.  It was so sudden.  It had only been a few minutes and although she was fairly certain she was dreaming, she didn't want it to end just yet.  She had so many questions.

"Hey wait, you can't just go!  You can't be just 'oh hey, saved your life, b-t-dubs I'm a mermaid, see yah'!"  She was scrambling up off the sand to make a move to get closer to her.  Skye didn't think she was being scary, she just had a curiosity of her own to fill.  She wanted to know more.  She wanted to see more.  She was already sketching out the fin shape and the girl's jawline in her head but without a picture she knew she would lose it.  Her eyes darted for her camera.  It was too far away.  Jemma could leave before she got a shot and her phone was at home sitting in a bowl of rice to try and soak out the water.

"Hey, wait, are you gonna come back?!"

Jemma hadn't been aware that she'd been slightly tense until Skye made a sudden move towards her. She immediately pushed with her arms so she was further into the water. It was instinct, all her life she'd practically been trained to think that humans were scary monsters, so it was natural for her to be weary.

She swallowed a lump in her throat and looked up at Skye, who Jemma admitted was intimidating when she was standing up, towering over her. She frantically pushed against the ground until she was far enough away to actually swim. Only then did she stop and look back at Skye. She looked upset, but not in the way Jemma had been expecting. Jemma expected her to be mad for not listening to her or try to catch her like Bobbi always said. She looked disappointed.

"When the sun is high." Jemma said without thinking, raising a hand and pointing straight above her head for emphasis. If she wanted to meet with Skye again she could come back tomorrow afternoon, and if she decided not to, she could simply fail to show up.

Another call from Bobbi grabbed Jemma's full attention and she dove back into the water, answering with a returning signal as soon as she was underwater.

Skye watched her go from the safety of the shore.  The second the mermaid had pushed herself into the water, the brunette had stopped.  She was more afraid of the liquid than she was concerned about getting her answers and so she watched with confusion and disappointment as that gorgeous tail disappeared beneath the water.

"When the sun is high..." Skye made a snorting sound as she trudged back up the sand and snatched her camera and shoes from the rock she had left them on.  What time even was that?  Was it lunch time? Was it four o'clock, she didn't know.  The sun was high a lot of the time, most of the day.  Now that she thought about it, she had a class and her disappointment grew deeper.

"It's just World Lit..." She said to herself as she scrambled out over the rocks to exit the grotto.  She would sit there all day if she had to, and she intended to.  

The young artist wasted no time in rushing back to the beach access point and put her shoes back on, setting off at a run up the street for her house.  She had to get to her desk and start drawing as soon as possible before she forgot everything.  The pattern of the scales were already fuzzy in her mind, but the colors were as vibrant as ever and the outline of her face still sharp.

Unlike Skye, Jemma was not in such a rush to get home. Judging by the annoyed calls of her older sister, Jemma knew that Bobbi knew she lied about what she was doing. Jemma didn't even have to get back to the underwater cave system that was their home, Bobbi had already come out to meet her.

"Where were you?" Bobbi asked immediately. It wasn't in english, of course, since they were underwater, and it almost made Jemma sigh. She liked talking in english and she'd just had to leave the only person who would do it with her.

Jemma didn't answer, instead simply looking down at the ocean floor and all the seaweed there. She was a terrible liar, she was surprised Bobbi had even believed her before.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to mess around near the shore?" Bobbi snipped, knowing by Jemma's reaction that she'd been up to something and felt guilty about it.

"You tell me all the time." Jemma's response was quiet, their own equivalent of a mutter. Bobbi rolled her eyes and took hold of Jemma's hand to lead her back home, even though Jemma obviously knew the right way.

"Have you ever wondered if the pod is wrong, that not all humans are bad?" Jemma asked as they swam. Despite Bobbi being very anti-human, she was still the person Jemma had always shared her thoughts with, and this one was no different.

"Are you kidding?" Bobbi actually stopped, swimming in front of Jemma and holding onto the sides of her arms. "You remember what happened. You do not go _anywhere_ near them, you hear me?" Bobbi's voice was laced with anger and concern all at once. She worried for Jemma, ever since she was small she'd always been curious about everything, no matter what it was. She'd gotten stung by a jellyfish when she was little for exactly the same thought she was having now. Humans did far worse things than jellyfish, though, and Bobbi would do everything in her power, along with the rest of the pod, to keep Jemma away from them.

Jemma averted her eyes back down to a fish a few yards away. She remembered what had happened, it was the cautionary tale that had been used for generations. Years ago one of their own pod had fallen in love with a fisherman only to be speared by a harpoon.

Jemma just nodded, though it still didn't defer her from her plans to meet up with Skye again the next day. Skye wasn't that sailor, the only thing she had with her was that silly thing she'd been pointing at the crabs, and they were fine. Skye was different, Jemma could feel it.

 


	3. Spectrum

Jemma knew very well that it wasn't going to be easy to get Bobbi to let her go. She had to prepare ahead of time, so the minute everyone else was asleep, Jemma grabbed her bag. It was made out of burlap found in what Jemma could now recognize as a sunken boat. It was basically a pouch that she could tie around her waist and swim at her fastest speeds without losing it.

Jemma knew that she needed an excuse to leave the pod for most of the day. There was no way Bobbi would let her go and use the same clam gathering excuse if she didn't actually bring any back, so Jemma set out in the middle of the night and did her best to find them in the dark and fill up her bag. Next she swam all the way back to the grotto she'd left Skye at the first night and dumped all the clams on a rock there for her to get later.

It was almost sunrise by the time she left them there and she had to hurry back to the caves to be there when everyone woke up, and she just barely made it. Bobbi was already coming out of the cave system, a worried look on her face, probably having discovered that Jemma wasn't with her inside when she woke up. Jemma quickly untied her bag and began to tie it again when Bobbi appeared, doing her best to appear as if she was just now getting ready.

"Jemma?" Bobbi questioned. "What-?"

"I wanted to get an early start today to make up for my failure to actually find anything yesterday." Jemma blurted out, finishing the tie around her waist for the second time and looking back up at Bobbi. _Keep eye contact, don't look away..._

"I'll be back later!" Jemma took off and called behind her before Bobbi could stop her.

"You better actually bring something back this time!" Bobbi shouted after her, frowning. She knew something was up with Jemma, she was never so enthusiastic about simple tasks like clam gathering, and she just hoped Jemma wasn't doing anything she wasn't supposed to like she had been the previous night. She was going to be holding Jemma to her promise of actually bringing back clams today.

Jemma wasn't even tired after being up all night, she was too excited to see Skye again, to talk to her. She got back to the beach in no time flat, in fifteen minutes at her top speed. Jemma didn't know what to do to wait for Skye, but she managed to gather some rocks and pull herself up on shore and stack them, it was a signal to let Skye know she was here. Now all she had to do was wait.

____________

            Skye was wide awake long before her alarm ever went off, just lying in bed staring up at the ceiling, lost in thought.  The last couple of days had been as close to a roller coaster as they had ever been.  It was an island.  Not a lot happened, and even less happened that people didn’t know about the day after, if not an hour after.  Word got around fast and as it happened, the previous day Ward had just been leaving her house as Skye arrived back.

She got him to go away with her excuse about having to go to the diner, and in all honesty it was the truth.  She did have a shift, it just wasn’t for another few hours.  He had skulked off all disappointed after giving her a good shove, which, now that she moved her shoulders, still sort of hurt.  He had apparently told her mother that she had been so wasted she had jumped off the boat like an idiot.

Skye of course spent an hour arguing with her mother that that had not, in fact, been the case, but either way by the time she got back to her desk the pattern in her head was lost and Skye’s image of the mermaid’s face hazy.  Disappointment hadn’t even begun to cover it.  Consequently she had been snippy at the diner and almost spilled coffee onto a man’s lap and was sent home early.  She had used her extra time to draw, but nothing came out right and she had gotten frustrated.

The artist had woken several times in the night to dreams of drowning, which led to her being awake now.  Finally her alarm went off and Skye sprang up out of bed, now excited and very determined to go and meet her new acquaintance.  She had thought of so many questions for her.  Skye didn’t even know if she would still be there, but as she tugged on a tank top and threw a snapback onto her messy short hair, she realized she had hope.  It was insane, really.  Mermaids couldn’t—didn’t exist.  Her mind had to have been playing tricks on her, but she just couldn’t accept it.  The vividness of that tail…it _had_ to be real.

She pulled on shorts instead of pants today, since she knew she would be on the sand and rock climbing, and chose sandals instead of her usual running or flat shoes.  Once dressed she was quick to dump a sketch book and several pencils into her bag, along with her camera before she closed it and left her room.

Skye had gotten ready faster than usual today, and her mother took notice.

“You’re heading to class early.”

“Oh, uh, yeah there’s a quiz today so I want to get there early to study some more,” she lied, shoving some fruit from the counter into her bag before she moved around the island counter and over to the pantry.  She stuffed a granola bar in as well as a pack of cookies.

“Well good luck.  Make all A’s so you don’t have to work at the diner everyday like your mother.”

“Already on it, mom,” Skye shouted as she walked out the door.  She walked to the side of the house and grabbed her bike, pushing it out the front gate before she mounted and started peddling down the street and coasted down the small hill.

Skye did feel a little guilty for lying to her mother, since in order to meet Jemma ‘when the sun is high’ she had to skip her English class.  She hadn’t been enjoying it so far anyway.  She knew writing was just another art form that people loved to participate in and Skye was glad that people liked to read and appreciate them, but she just couldn’t.  If she couldn’t see it, all laid out, she didn’t grasp it very well.  She was very much a visual learner, which was one of the many reasons she enjoyed art so much.

There was a little congestion along the sidewalks and the streets and so it took Skye a little longer than normal to reach the access point to the beach, by this time the sun was, what she thought, high enough.  It was a warm day and Skye was thankful now that she had chosen a tank and shorts.  The artist locked her bike up on the rack and crossed the dunes and out onto the beach.  It was still a twenty or so minute walk to the grotto, but she didn’t mind it.  Most people were busy but a few other people had decided that the beach would make for a good day.  The grotto was far from any prying eyes though.  People rarely made it down that far, if ever, and Skye doubted anyone would make it today, especially since the tourist season was officially over and mostly only islanders remained.  The population was plenty busy with other things to do than to be out on the sand.

The walk went by fast enough and soon Skye could see the wall of rocks in the distance.  She made a sprint for it and when she came to the wall, tossed her satchel and sandals over and proceeded to climb up and over, landing down on the other side with a soft thud.  When she turned around, she was very much surprised to see a stack of smooth rocks, built up into a small tower right at the edge of the tide line.

“Oh sweet,” she was already knelt over and pulling out her camera from her bag.  She scanned what little she could see of the ocean from the bottom of the wall as she walked over to the rock tower and sat down next to it.  She took a couple of pictures then set the camera to the side, sitting back to wait.  She supposed maybe her new acquaintance had set up the tower as a signal, and if not, perhaps more people came out to this place than she thought.

When Jemma's keen ears picked up on noises coming from the shore, her face lit up. She'd been waiting behind a large rock out in the water since just after the sun came up, concealing herself in case someone who wasn't Skye stopped by. It was highly unlikely that anyone else would, but Jemma still only peeked around the boulder to check.

What she saw made her smile. Her little tower apparently pleased Skye, she was doing that weird thing from yesterday, but she was pointing her thing at the rocks.

"Hello." Jemma called out shyly, peeking around the rock a little more so her head and shoulders were visible.

The sound made Skye jump a little, even if it hadn't been loud enough to really be startle worthy.  She just wasn't accustomed to people springing up out of the ocean and saying hello, but that honestly had been what her last two days were like if anything.

She grinned though, finally when she caught sight of the mermaid behind the rock and shifted her weight so that she could use one of her hands to wave.  "Hey," she settled back against the sand and watched Jemma curiously.  

"So uhm...is-is this the right time and everything?  I'm not really accustomed to hearing to meet 'when the sun is high'," she used air quotations and smiled awkwardly, "I mean I can come uhm...I can come back later if you're busy now?" What did mermaids even go about being busy with?  Skye didn't know, what she did know was that it was around lunch time for her and that the sun was pretty high.  She wasn't quite sure if it was at its highest point or what.  Maybe she could get her a waterproof watch or something.  Would that even work?  Skye had no idea.  Suddenly she had no idea about a lot of things, but as she watched the mermaid, she realized she wanted to learn.

Jemma's grin widened as she watched Skye speak. She was pretty sure human emotions were the same as the ones of her own people, so she could tell Skye was just as nervous and excited as she was.

"The time is all right." Jemma assured her. She didn't want to hide behind the rock anymore, it was Skye here and no one else. Sinking beneath the surface again, Jemma swam as close to shore as possible before reappearing and pulling herself up and out of the water just a little more so that she was closer to her new human friend. She lay down in a similar manner as yesterday, but she settled her chin into one of her palms and just looked at Skye. Jemma didn't know what was considered attractive for humans, but Jemma realized that she thought Skye was quite beautiful. That was a crazy thought, though, so she tried to ignore it.

"What is that?" Jemma finally asked the question she was so curious about, pointing to the object Skye had brought with her both times that she pointed at things.

The artist sighed in relief, having been afraid the time was wrong and that the mermaid would have to leave.  When she asked about the camera, Skye chuckled and picked it up, turning it over in her hands.  

"This is a camera.  It takes pictures,". Skye realized then Jemma probably didn't know what pictures were and she sighed heavily, brow scrunching up in confusion as she tried to think of a way to explain.  

"It uhm...it helps you capture an image of something you like.  Like..." She looked around and her eyes fell back on the rocks, "like say you see these rocks and think they're pretty and you want to keep them, but without moving them or taking them with you." Skye leaned over and snapped a picture of the rocks, then got on her knees and walked closer to the water, waiting to see if Jemma would move away.  When she didn't, she settled back down and pulled up the digital image and held the camera out to show her, "It takes the picture.  It's like...a permanent memory.  I...can't really explain better than that."

Jemma's eyebrows furrowed in confusion at Skye's explanation, but whenever she came closer and showed her the screen of the camera, her eyes widened in surprise. This was probably the most amazing thing she'd ever seen, and Skye would be able to see it on her face.

"So you can just look at a...picture...whenever you want to see something again?" Clearly Jemma was starting to get the idea, but the little identical image of her rock tower on the screen still had her in awe. "That's amazing!" She exclaimed, tapping the screen with one finger just to see what it did. It looked just like her little tower, but it was flat.

Jemma hadn't really realized how much she wanted to touch Skye until she was this close. Skye's hands were right in front of her with the camera, and Jemma couldn't help it. She'd touched Skye before, but that was just to save her life. Slowly, Jemma let her still damp and slightly sandy fingers wrap around Skye's forearm gently, and she looked up to make eye contact.

"Thank you for coming back." She said brightly. She wanted Skye to know how genuinely glad she was to have made a new friend outside of her pod, and especially for being so nice whenever Jemma hadn't expected it.

Skye's mouth was open to answer, smiling at the amazement on the mermaid's face, but stopped short when Jemma's hand wrapped around her arm.  She was quiet, listening intently to the girl.  The eye contact was so intense Skye didn't realize she had been holding her breath till she opened her mouth to speak again, blushing a little bit and pulling her arm and the camera away.

"Y-yeah well...you're a mermaid so...it's not like I meet one every day.  A-and you saved me, so," she shrugged and put the camera up over her face to hide the redness, pointing it at Jemma and snapping the shutter.

She looked at it for a second to make sure it came out alright and she had to grit her teeth to stop herself from being amazed.  She was definitely real.  "Here, look.  I can delete it if you want...uhm, so no one else will see it if you're worried about it, but now you're in a picture," she turned the camera back around to show her. "You can try if you want. Just don't drop it in the water. It won't work if it gets wet."

The way Skye spoke made Jemma smile even wider, if that was possible. She was nervous and somehow it was cute. Maybe sometime soon Skye would get used to talking to her.

When Skye handed her the camera, Jemma really was confused.

"That's me?" She asked as she stared at the screen. She'd really never seen herself before, only slight, blurry reflections on the sides of boats or her own shadow on the ocean floor. Never like this, though. It was like looking at a stranger, even though she knew it was herself.

She tried to get past it though and put the camera up to her face, like Skye had. It made a bunch of lines appear in her vision and it was weird, but she pointed the camera at Skye and did the same thing she had. It came out a little blurry since she was inexperienced, but it was still a picture.

"And that's you." She smiled, looking down at the screen with pride. When she remembered the picture of herself, though, she also seemed to just now realize what Skye's question meant. Skye could look at the pictures all the time and if a human that wasn't so nice saw it...

"You should make mine go away." She said carefully, holding the camera out. "Bobbi says people are bad, and even though you're good, I still want to stay safe." Jemma told her, not really realizing that she'd just mentioned her sister until it was too late. She'd never talked to anyone that hadn't known Bobbi, so mentioning her like her partner in conversation knew her was normal.

"Yeah," Skye laughed, taking the camera and looking at the blurry picture of herself, "That's me..." She flipped back one image per Jemma's request, looking at it one more time before she deleted it.  She showed her afterwards to prove the picture was gone.  

"Your secret is safe with me.  I know people can be assholes...err, bad.  I know people can be bad and mean.  I know a few people like that.  I won't tell anyone," the artist promised and set her camera aside on the sand out of reach of the waves softly rolling up.    
She was intrigued by the mention of another mermaid, or so she assumed by the way Jemma said they felt about humans.  She was mildly upset to be put in that category, but she supposed they didn't know that not all humans were bad.  Skye knew one bad egg could spoil the whole cake.  

"So...who is Bobbi?  Are there more of you?  I-I mean of course there's more of you...you can't just live alone.  That would be terrible.  You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I'm just...uh, curious.  You don't have to say anything you aren't comfortable with...". Skye knew she was rambling, but she couldn't help it.  She wanted to know as much as possible.  She was talking to a mermaid for heaven's sake.  Skye didn't figure that sort of thing happened every day, but now that she knew one, she hoped it would.  She was so interesting and amazing.  Yeah, Skye was amazed.  She was talking to a mermaid.  She still couldn't believe it, but she knew Jemma had a right to keep anything from her she wanted.  Skye could understand why.  She was different...but she was still a person...or at least half of one.

Jemma definitely felt relief when Skye showed her that the picture was gone, she was already taking risks just by talking to Skye, so not having any evidence of it was assuring.

Skye was still speaking in that strange way of hers, like she wasn't sure exactly what she wanted to say, but she could get the gist of it. Skye was very curious, and that was something Jemma could relate to.

"I don't mind." Jemma assured her. "Bobbi is my sister. Well, not by blood, but she takes care of me." Jemma explained. It really was more of a long story, so she tried to give Skye just the hard facts. "She was the one calling me when I had to leave yesterday."

"Oh, cool," Skye smiled and sat back, taking her eyes off of Jemma finally to look at something else.  They almost needed a break.  She had been looking at her the entire time, afraid if she looked away Jemma might disappear.  She looked to the ocean instead, suddenly curious.

"I didn't hear anyone call you yesterday," she shifted again, leaning towards the mermaid instead of away, eyes back on her.  Of course they didn't just speak English all the time.  That was silly, so Skye was curious...what did mermaids sound like?

Jemma laughed, like the idea of Skye being able to hear Bobbi was ridiculous, which it actually was. Sure, Skye would be able to hear them if they were talking to her, but not from so far away.

"You couldn't hear her because she was  over ten miles away." Jemma informed her, ready to see the same amazed look Jemma had had only moments before, but on Skye. "Do you understand how whales and dolphins speak? It's sort of like that." Jemma explained. "Our whole pod communicates that way, and if we all collectively try hard enough, sometimes we can talk to other pods several hundred miles away."

Skye was still sitting there, mouth agape.  Ten miles away.  She couldn't comprehend hearing something from that far away unless it was loud enough for everyone.  She couldn't contain herself, "Can I hear?  I-I mean, I'd like to know what it sounds like.  I mean I know what whales and stuff sound like but..." She started to slow down, having blurted it all out at once in her excitement.  
She was holding her arm, suddenly nervous again and she had to look away.  She couldn't focus when looking at the mermaid.  She was almost too mesmerizing.

"I've never heard what mermaids sound like...well, because I've never met one before."

"Of course." Jemma smiled. It made her very happy to have Skye just as curious as she was. If Jemma was going to ask her all kinds of questions, it was only fair that Skye got to ask them, too. "It's different above water, but I can give it a shot."

Jemma cleared her throat as Skye watched intently, and she almost had to consciously switch the way her vocal chords worked. She didn't really know what to say, but she guessed it didn't matter. She could be speaking gibberish and Skye wouldn't know the difference. The only thing that dictated what words she had to pick were the pitches. She had to say something in the middle of the spectrum, since she knew already that Skye's hearing range wasn't as wide. Skye would only be able to hear the simplest of words, but Jemma could still try to share her language.

She started out softly, trying to adjust her voice to fit the air instead of the ocean, but once she got going she was sure it sounded the same. It was quiet, so that none of her pod could hear, but still loud enough for Skye. Her words were series of clicks and mews, combined rhythmically and almost sounding like a song. _I think you're very pretty and nice, I like you a lot already_ , she said, though Skye wouldn't have known it.

The artist was patient, sitting back and listening intently, willing to give Jemma all the time she needed for whatever was about to happen.  When the mermaid finally opened her mouth and sound came out her eyes steadily opened wider and her mouth hung open.  By far, she could swear, it was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard.

When Jemma finished, Skye couldn't even form words.  She just stared at Jemma in wonder, mouth still open and a stupid, silly grin on her face.

"Wow..." She shook her head to try and clear her thoughts.  She sighed too and finally shut her mouth, "That was beautiful..." So far everything about her was just that.  Beautiful.  Amazing.  Enchanting.  If Skye had ever thought about mermaids before she imagined them as fantastical, beautiful creatures...and she hadn't been disappointed.

"Thank you." Jemma said quietly, switching back to English. She could feel a small blush creeping up her cheeks, which was a very rare thing indeed. It wasn't often that Jemma felt particularly flattered, but Skye seemed to think the simplest things about her were impressive.

"What about you, do you have a pod?" Jemma asked. She'd been wondering how exactly the humans' social structure worked, and it was time to ask Skye a few questions in return. Did Skye have family?

"A pod?  You mean a family?" Skye questioned, figuring that's probably what she had meant.  It was sort of a complicated question but she didn't see harm in trying to explain.

"Yeah, I do.  It's just me and my mom.  My dad left a long time ago.  So it's just us two.  It's not too bad..." She shrugged and sat back, getting into a more relaxing position against the sand.  She was probably going to be here awhile talking, she might as well get comfortable.

"A small family is still a good one." Jemma told her. She was glad Skye at least had her mother, she'd been a little worried that she was alone, but she felt better about it knowing that at least she had someone.

"I haven't seen my parents in ages. A while back our pod got too big and we split into two, we ended up on different halves." Jemma explained, thinking of them fondly. It had been what, seven years now? Bobbi had pretty much always been the one to look out for her.

When Jemma noticed Skye getting comfortable, she did the same. She chose to get up, switching from her lying down position to one more like Skye's so they could be at eye level. She sat up and folded her tail so it was slightly wrapped around her, and she relished the feeling of the warm sand against her scales. She'd never been completely out of water like this except for when she'd saved Skye that first night.

Skye got her first full good look at the mermaid, tail and all.  Her scales sparkled in the sun just like they had the day before and the artist found that again, she could not take her eyes off of them.  The sudden clear look at them gave her the urge to draw and paint.  She wanted to sketch that pattern until she got it down to a science.

When she finally realized that she was staring, and that the girl had spoken, Skye cleared her throat to respond, but what came out was a terrible, stuttering mistake, “Y-you’re beautiful.”  It took her a moment to catch it and when she did, her face heated up again, “Wait, wait I mean, your tail!  Your tail is amazing…wait, I mean,” She knew she was getting fidgety now.  She must look ridiculous.  It was a miracle Jemma stayed to talk to her at all, “Your tail is cool.  I like the colors and stuff…yeah.”

She had to look down at the sand then, quickly occupying herself by drawing small designs in it with her finger before she sighed.  She could barely compliment human girls let alone stunning ladies from the sea.  “Yeah, you picked a great human to learn from when you saved me…” Skye sighed, it was sarcasm of course, but she didn’t think about maybe Jemma not understanding.  She was too embarrassed.

Jemma didn't understand sarcasm, it wasn't really something that the members of her pod ever used. Still, she agreed with Skye's statement, she did pick a really great person to learn from. She was flustered at Skye's comment about her tail, though she was a bit more used to this.

"Thank you." She smiled. "My tail is actually a lot more colorful than those of most of my pod members." It was true, and only slightly annoying. There were so many mermen and even mermaids that complimented her on it with the intention of courting her, but it usually only annoyed her. She'd come to dislike how attractive her tail was, but for some reason she actually felt complimented when Skye said it, it didn't feel like she was saying it for some ulterior motive.

"And you're very beautiful too, you know." Jemma told her, and it was the truth. She thought Skye was even more beautiful than many of the mermaids she knew, and that was saying something.

Skye couldn't handle it.  For a second she had thought her hearing was on the fritz but when she looked at Jemma, Skye realized she had meant it.  Beautiful?  Her?  Jemma probably only said that because she hadn't seen other humans, or she was just being exceptionally nice.  
            "You're kidding right?  Me?  Nah, I'm pretty average.  You just haven't seen enough humans..." She trailed off.  She was used to receiving compliments, but about her art, not about her.  She shook her head, shaking it off before scrambling up and walking the couple feet back over to her satchel, which she brought back with her to the edge of the water.  
            Skye took the opportunity to sit a little closer to Jemma.  She wanted as good a look as she could get at the girl's scales.  She pulled her sketchbook and a pencil out and then quickly, starting to blush again as she looked at Jemma, "Uhm...d-do you mind...uh, if I draw you?  It's like taking a picture with a camera, except you have to make the picture yourself.  It's Uhm...less real if you draw it. Like, people can draw things that aren't real. It's for your imagination, the pictures in your head, as well as what you can see."  She tried to explain, but she wasn't very good at it and she could see the concern and confusion on Jemma's face.  
            "Ok here look," Skye scooted even closer, their arms almost touching, almost, as she flipped through her sketchbook, holding it over for the mermaid to look at.    
            "This is a dragon.  They don't actually exist.  They're just mythical creatures, like you're supposed to be.  Humans don't think you exist..." She flipped another page, "and this, this is a lion.  It does exist.  They live in Africa.  It's another continent...I don't know if you've been there or what you call it. You would be like the dragon.  No one would know you are real if they ever looked at it.  But no one looks at this but me...and now you," she watched Jemma's face carefully, trying to judge if she would let her or not.

Jemma could understand what Skye was saying, or at least get a good grasp on it, but she was too focussed on the drawings to let Skye know it. As Skye flipped through the pages, one at a time, Jemma found herself more and more enthralled by Skye's abilities. It was hard to believe she'd made them herself.   
            "These are very good pictures." Jemma nodded, never taking her eyes off of them. She wanted to remember it all. Lions in Africa, dragons... There were so many new things. And if it was as safe as Skye said it was, she believed her. For some reason she trusted her, Skye had been nothing but honest so far.  
            "Okay," Jemma nodded enthusiastically. It would be a lie to say she wasn't actually excited to see Skye make a picture of her.

Skye let out an intake of breath through her mouth, smiling in relief when Jemma agreed.  “Great!” She took the sketchbook and put it in her own lap, quickly flipping through the pages of other drawings till she found a blank one, “Now I need a good view point so I’m going to have to sit back a little bit.  And I may not talk a lot because I’m concentrating, but if you want to ask questions or just talk then I’ll do my best to answer you and listen,” the artist smiled wide, grinning so big that her teeth were showing.  She looked genuinely excited.

The girl took one last long at Jemma’s scales to try and commit the pattern to memory before she got up and brushed herself off a little bit, taking a few steps back and sitting back down cross legged.  She propped the paper up in her lap and snatched an apple from her bag. She took a bite and then looked back up at the mermaid.

“Oh and you don’t have to stay still, but you can’t flop about like…well…like a fish.  No offense.  Just you know…don’t suddenly decide to go swimming.  I need to see you to get it right,” Skye explained and now that she was ‘working’, let her eyes freely roam over the rest of the girl.  Her previous embarrassing statement had been true.  Jemma was very beautiful.  After looking enough, Skye finally looked down and set to work.

“So you said you haven’t seen your parents in a long time?  Do you mind me asking why your pod split?  I know you said it was too big…” She paused to look up again for a minute, her eyes so fixated it was intense, before she looked back down, “but I mean how did you and your sister uhm…Bobbi end up in a different one than your parents?”

Jemma got a little more comfortable so she could sit relatively still while Skye worked. She leaned over to one side and put her weight on her arm, as well as stretch out her tail a little more, both for herself and Skye.

"That's not unusual for us." Jemma started to explain. She wondered if it was different for humans, it probably was if Skye still lived with her mother. It was hard for her to explain since Skye didn't know already, but she was going to give it her best shot.

"In our pods we're all family. No relationship is stronger than another, the only exception being...significant others." She did her best to explain, but Jemma wasn't sure Skye understood.

"For example, my relationship with my mother is just as strong as with any other mermaid in the pod. Children belong to the entire pod, not just two parents." She finished. "So it isn't really considered when it comes to splitting up."

Skye nodded to herself as she drew, but more to let Jemma know that she had heard her and understood.  Skye figured it was probably the same as growing up in a close knit neighborhood or in an orphanage.  The kids belonged to everyone or all the parents on the block knew everyone else.  It wasn’t quite the same, but she could grasp the concept.

She looked up again and then back down, drawing more and making quick lines on the paper before going back over them and making them darker.  She flicked her eyes back up several times, the last time taking another nice long look, before she sighed to herself and kept going.  She had been quiet for a while, so she suddenly remembered to speak up again.

“So…what’s it like under the ocean?” She realized, a little too late, that it was probably a very broad question and she had a huge piece of apple in her mouth by the time she noticed.  She chewed quickly and swallowed it, almost choking in the process, having to cough a little before she continued, “Sorry…I mean I guess in general…or what is life like? Like, what is a typical day for a mermaid?  Do you just…I dunno, swim around all day and find random hydrophobic, inept people to save?” She chuckled a little and looked up from her paper.

Jemma laughed at Skye's joke, genuinely laughed, and grinned at her. It was quite funny that Skye had managed to fall into the water twice when she was so weary of it.

"I guess it depends." Jemma caught her bottom lip between her teeth and tried to take her eyes away from Skye's hand on the page. "There are certain things that need to be done, so everyone in the pod has a job. Some of them catch fish, some gather, some keep a lookout for-" Jemma paused, changing the old vocabulary in her head to the new word that Skye had taught her. "-boats. Some make tools, other products, all kinds of things. Others take care of children. It varies really." There were so many jobs, Jemma couldn't list them all.

"I have the boring job of gathering clams for us to eat, though I hope to switch to something more interesting once I'm older." Jemma concluded, glancing back up towards Skye's face.

"What about you, what's daily life like for a two-legged?" She asked, laughing a bit as she used the mermaid slang for human.

Skye snorted a little when she laughed at what Jemma had called her, not looking away from the page now as she lightly shook her head, brushing some eraser shavings off the paper.  “Two-legged,” She repeated with a grin, grinning some more before it faded and she sighed.

“Well, it varies for us too.  There are so many jobs I can’t list them either. For me…” She paused, trying to think of how easy it would be to explain, or what she should say, “Well for me I have school.  I don’t know if you guys have school, but we go and we learn things like math uhm…how to add numbers.  One plus one is two, that sort of thing.  We learn history about people and places, we learn about books that people think are important…uhm…” Skye stopped drawing and sat back, staring at Jemma for a moment until it became too much, like staring at the sun.  So she decided to stare at the actual sun instead.

“There's languages.  We learn different languages, but I’m not very good at them so I don’t take those classes.  We can learn music, like how to sing or play instruments.  I’m not good at that either.  OH!!” She grinned then and sat forward, putting the sketchbook down beside her, “We learn science.  Science is hard to explain, I would have to show you, but there’s so much to it…like…gravity.  Gravity is science.  Gravity says that if I drop this pencil,” She held it up, “it’s going to fall.  NO matter what” She dropped it, “And uhm…other important things.  I’m not good at science either, but it’s more fun to learn that math.  I also take art, which is…” She picked the sketch back up, looked at Jemma, and made a few more lines, then turned it around to show her, “This.  This is called art.”

Skye let Jemma take the sketchbook to look at as she got up and got closer again, sitting down next to her like she was before.  “It’s not too great.  It’s just a quick little thing…the scales aren’t quite right…but I doubt a drawing could compare properly anyway.  Other than school I work at a restaurant.  Uh, a place where people go to eat.  I take their order and give it to the cook, who makes the food, and then I bring the food to them.  It’s not a lot of pay, but it's something.  Mom works there too.  Other than that really I’m in my room or walking around trying to find stuff for art projects…do you like it?”

Jemma nodded continuously as Skye spoke, taking in all the new information. Skye had seemed to barely just scratch the surface, there was so much Jemma didn't know. It was like she had been living in a little bubble before and was just now starting to see everything outside of it for the first time.  
            When Jemma finally looked down at the sketchbook in her hands, her jaw practically fell open. She hadn't seen herself very much, but Skye was wrong, it wasn't bad at all, her sketch was amazing.  
            "This looks just like a picture but without colors." Jemma said, amazed. "You made this with your hands?" She just couldn't believe it. She grabbed for Skye's hand in curiosity, linking their fingers together and wondering how such a thing was even possible. "I love it." She said, still staring down at the book.

Skye was quiet, just soaking in the compliments on her drawing like a sponge, although, being the artist, she couldn’t really see it as Jemma saw it.  She would always see the flaws and where she could have done just a little better.  Sometimes she wished she could look at her drawings like other people did, but the compliments would have to do.  She was already blushing from the sudden hand holding.

“I’m glad.  I-I would uhm…say you could have it but the water would mess up the paper…so I’ll just hold uhm…hold onto it,” just barely stammering through her sentence she reached back for the pencil, “But yeah, the pencil helps, see?” She softly removed her hand from the mermaid’s and flipped to another page, making a mark on it with the pencil then handing it to her, “you can try too.  But yeah, I did make it with my hands…I make other things too.  I like to paint and sculpt…but I’m the best at this.”

"What is sculpting?" Jemma asked curiously, trying to figure out how to hold the pencil. It was nothing like how Skye did it and she was only making scribbles, but it was new and entertaining all the same. She liked all these strange but amazing things that the humans had, it was such a shame that none of them seemed to work underwater.

“Sculpting is…” Skye tried to search for the right words, but she was better at doing things than describing them.  “I’ll show you.  Here, keep the book out of the water…actually…just yeah, just let me have that back,” Skye took the sketchbook and folded it up, taking the pencil too and putting both by her satchel.

How was she going to explain sculpting? All there was around her was rocks and sand, and she didn’t have any rock carving tools.  She supposed building a sand castle was like sculpting.  It did have some of the same aspects, even if infinitely more temporary.

“Okay here…” She hesitantly got as close to the water line as possible and scooped her hands into the wet sand and put piles and piles of it onto the dry sand, before she finally sat down in front of it.   “it’s when you take something…and shape it into something else,” She tried to explain, and has her hands worked in the sand, before long she had a somewhat decent tower, followed by a bridge and a small series of lumps that served as other towers or houses.

“Sand is really bad to explain this with, but it’s sort of like how I shape the sand, but I do it with other things like…clay or metal.  Boats are made out of metal.  And wood sometimes, but, most boats are made out of metal. The big ones anyway.  Clay is…harder than sand, but softer than rocks.  It’s the perfect between,” She wiped her hands together to get the sand off and sat back, looking at her pathetic excuse for a castle.

"You know so much." Jemma told her, still staring at the small sculpture. It seemed as if every time Skye spoke Jemma learned something new, and she loved it. She was still just staring, looking at Skye's face and trying to remember every detail about it, like a picture. Suddenly there was a call, and Jemma's heart sunk.

It wasn't a frustrated call, but it was Bobbi letting her know it was time to come home. She hadn't realized how long she'd been talking with Skye and was incredibly disappointed that she had to leave. It was probably visible on her face as she looked sadly behind her at the water.

"I have to leave now." Jemma sighed and pushed back into the water, immediately swimming to the rock from before and stuffing clams into her pouch while giving Skye an apologetic look.

“Oh…” Skye’s face dropped too when Jemma said she needed to leave and when she pushed back into the water so quickly.  She stood up, walking to the edge of the water, one hand holding her other arm before she waved.

“Bye I guess…uhm…hey, when will you be back?” She wanted to talk to her more, and she wanted to say so, but she also didn’t want to sound demanding, especially since mermaids were afraid of humans and everything.  She didn’t  want to come off threatening in any way.  It made her sad though, to think that maybe the mermaid couldn’t come back.  She wondered if they migrated…like whales and other sea creatures did.  Probably.  It made her even more upset to think that, but she tried not to show it on her face.  Skye would do her best to remain hopeful.

"When the sun is high?" Jemma grinned, pointing to the sky. Although leaving was sad, she couldn't wait to come back, and that excitement would get her through the night. Without another word, she disappeared under the surface.


	4. Heartlines

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the lovely comments!!!!!!!!!!!

"Hello, Skye." Jemma called out as soon as her head popped up out of the water near the shore. She swam the last few feet and quickly pulled herself up onto the sand of the very familiar grotto, it was the place she'd spent most of her time the last two weeks.

"I have something for you-" Jemma had been excited and about to reach for the pouch at her waist when she looked up and actually caught sight of Skye. She'd started wearing different clothes recently, and every time Jemma saw her in them she found that her skin flushed and the tips of her ears turned bright red. What Skye called a bikini was very revealing and Jemma couldn't get over how soft and delicate her body looked.

"I..I brought something for you." Jemma tried to get back to what she had been intending to do, but she couldn't take her eyes off Skye and fumbled around a little bit before her hand finally closed around the object in her bag.

“Oh yeah?!” Skye had just scrambled over the rock before Jemma had popped her head out of the water and had already set her satchel down, which had been steadily growing larger over the past couple of weeks with things to bring to show her new mermaid friend.

It had been getting extra hot out and since Skye seemed to be spending everyday out in the sun, she had decided that tanning would be a good idea and a bathing suit was certainly more beach appropriate than skinny jeans and a sweatshirt.  In any case she pulled her biking shorts off and dropped them down in the sand next to her bag, bending over to reach inside it to pull out her towel and something else she quickly hid in it.

“What a coincidence, because I brought you something too,” The brunette grinned, turning back around and bringing her towel over to the sand and laying it out next to Jemma before she sat down, hands behind her back.

“You first then!” A huge grin was on her face, both in excitement and anticipation.  Her last couple of weeks had been wonderful, steadily showing Jemma more and more things and learning more things about her as well.  It was the best, and longest, part of her day, at least when she didn’t have to leave for class, but she would always try to come back after.           

Sometimes Jemma would still be there, sometimes not.  Those days she went home sad, but they had been few and for that, Skye was very glad.

Jemma was also a big fan of their time together, it was without a doubt the highlight of her day. When she wasn't actually with Skye, she was thinking about her, and it often got her into trouble at home. She was distracted and far off most of the time and she could tell at least Bobbi knew it, if not everyone. Thankfully no one had said anything yet.

"Oh, all right." Jemma smiled, trying not to let her eyes flick down to Skye's bare legs. For someone who didn't have legs, she sure liked them. To change the subject in her own mind, Jemma pulled her hand out of her bag and opened it in front of Skye, revealing a necklace.

"I made it myself. The string is twine, and these are cowrie shells. These colorful bits here are pieces of sea glass that I made beads out of." Jemma proudly presented the object to her best friend. It had taken her a week to make, she'd spent so much time filing down the glass into small spheres and putting holes in them with her stone tools. She felt so accomplished when it was finally done and she really hoped Skye liked it.

            “Oh wow!  Look at it,” The artist gasped in awe and dropped whatever she was hiding behind her from Jemma and gently took the necklace from her, turning it over in her hands to examine every detail.  “You know what you’ve done right?  Jemma, you made _art_ ,” Skye laughed, still grinning like a child on Christmas.

“I love it, it’s beautiful.  Did you show Bobbi? Or your other pod members?  They’re going to get jealous.  You’d better get to making one for everyone,” She joked and handed it back to her before she turned around and sat with her back facing the mermaid.  She gathered her shoulder length hair up into a ponytail behind her head and angled back so she could still see her friend, “Will you put it on for me? I don’t want to mess it up.”

"Just for you...you're special." Jemma's face instantly reddened and she was glad Skye had her back turned. Her heart swelled with pride from Skye's praise and the knowledge that she'd made art, just like Skye.

Jemma curtly nodded to Skye's request, not realizing at first that Skye couldn't see her. Her eyes were too focussed on Skye's shoulders and her back, Jemma could see all the lines of her muscles and she wanted to trace all of them. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Jemma peeled her eyes away and looked back down at the necklace one more time before raising her arms.

"I can do that..." She cautiously reached around Skye's neck, maybe not so subtly grazing her shoulders, and putting the necklace on her. She took her sweet time tying it into a slip knot, so that Skye would be able to loosen and tighten it to get it on and off. She was almost regretful when she finished, but she placed a gentle hand on one of Skye's warm, tanned shoulders.

"So... What did you bring?" Jemma changed the subject quickly, hoping Skye would turn back around so she wouldn't be so distracted, but it wasn't like Skye's front was any less attractive.

Skye would be lying to herself if she said she hadn’t done it on purpose.  She had only known Jemma for a few weeks now, but she couldn’t deny she was a little more than enamored with her.  Her sketchbook could pretty much vouch for that.  Jemma’s face, Jemma’s tail, all of her, everything was the only thing in her book for the last hundred pages, and every night she went home and added more.  She was thinking about Jemma just as much as the mermaid was thinking about her, if not more.

She took her little victories, the small touches that made her hot, partially sunburnt skin shiver.  Jemma was her friend though, before anything and Skye certainly didn’t want to mess that up, so she never let anything linger too long, except for her gaze, because she stared at the mermaid like she was the sun itself.

“Oh right!  It won’t compare to this, but I think you’ll like it,” Skye grinned and moved away, but only a little, to stretch towards the blanket and grab her object.  She held out towards Jemma, in her hand, a blue, disposable camera.

“This, is your very own, waterproof disposable camera.  So you can take your own pictures underwater while you’re doing things.  You don’t have to take pictures of your pod, I understand the secrecy thing ten hundred percent.  But once it's finished,” She took it and pointed to a small number next to the eyepiece, “It will say zero, and then you can bring it back to me and I can take them on campus and get them developed for you!” Skye grinned, hoping that Jemma would like the surprise she had brought.  It wasn’t anywhere near as creative or thoughtful as Jemma’s present had been, but she had passed it in the store and couldn’t miss the opportunity.

“Your very own camera, Jemma.  I’ll even laminate the pictures if you want to keep any of them, so they won’t get hurt by the water.”

Skye may not have thought the gift was anything special, but to Jemma, it was like Skye had just given her the best gift in the world. A camera that worked underwater? Skye really could do anything, and it made her heart flutter to think that Skye would get something like this for her.

"Skye, I love it!" She exclaimed, taking the camera in her hands and looking it over. It was a lot simpler than Skye's, but Jemma appreciated it since she didn't really know how to work it other than point and click. Skye said she could make the pictures last underwater, so her first goal was to get a good shot of Skye. Jemma brought the small plastic object up to her face and made sure Skye was in the center of the frame, smiling, before she pushed down on the button.

She couldn't wait to take all the pictures that would fit and then have Skye develop them for her so she could keep them with her.  
"Now you can see what it looks like down under too." Jemma laughed, already thinking about what things and places she wanted to take pictures of to show Skye.

“Yeah, because that’s the only way I’m ever going to see it,” Skye chuckled, “At least if I’m not knocked out and drowning with no mermaid heroine to save me anyway.” She sat back on the blanket with a sigh, before she decided to lay back and stretch out a little bit.  She put her arms behind her head as a pillow and yawned, closing her eyes now that the sun was blaring down in them.  She had forgotten her sunglasses.  The brunette just needed to add them to the long list of things she needed to bring with her every day.

“I’m really glad you like it, Jems.  I thought you might,” She was still ginning, before she opened her eyes and took a peek at the mermaid, “Do anything fun after I had to leave yesterday? I know it was kind of early, but I had a test.  Oh, a test is when in class we have a lot of things we learned, and we have to write it all back down so the teacher knows we have memorized it.” She explained, since she knew she hadn’t yet had a test since she met the mermaid.

Explaining different things had become easier and she had noticed Jemma’s vocabulary steadily starting to shift and grow.  It made her proud and happy to know that she was helping her learn things.  She would have to see if she could read…they did have _The Little Mermaid_ in the library to rent.

Jemma chuckled and watched as Skye stretched out, already trying to memorize the newest word Skye had explained. It was even harder for Jemma to concentrate when Skye was in this position, she could very clearly see how well defined Skye's stomach and abs were, and if she hadn't been unsure about whether or not Skye would be ok with it, she would have reached out to touch her by now.

"Oh, not much. I mostly just did odd jobs for the pod." Jemma shared about the rest of her day, though it wasn't anything interesting. Even though she wasn't sure about touching, Jemma knew Skye wasn't annoyed by her proximity, so she scooted a little closer until she was lying on her stomach, adjacent to her, her chin resting down on her folded arms. The sun beating down on her back made her sleepy and she yawned just after Skye.

"You know, this is the first time my hair has ever been dry." Jemma mumbled, her eyes half closed.

Skye sat up a little, opening her eyes to look over at the mermaid and grinned, nodding.  Her hair was indeed dry.  They had been out that long, it was an accomplishment.  She rested her head back down and shut her eyes again, “I like it.  It’s different…” She sighed as she said it, just enjoying the presence of her friend and how nice the sun felt on her skin.  Her hair was a completely different color when it was dry and Skye found that she liked it, just like she had said.  It was all frizzy of course, probably because it had never been dry before, but the brunette didn’t mind.  Her own didn’t look so great every day after having the ocean breeze on it for hours on end.

“Am I going to have to dump you back in the water?  Should I bring a bucket next time?  You won’t dry out if you lay up here with me will you?” She giggled to herself and turned her head to the side, staying on her back, so she could look at Jemma and not have to keep her eyes closed against the sun.

“Well my day was boring too. I had to go to the diner after the test, and then Ward made me go on some stupid fake ass treasure hunt on the other side of the island.  Turns out he lost his really expensive watch there last week during one of his stupid parties.  A watch is something we tell time with.  I would have rather been laying here talking to you.  It’s way more fun.”

Jemma liked to hear that Skye enjoyed spending time with her, she was just sorry Skye had to spend time with Ward. In the two weeks they'd known each other Jemma learned he was the one that knocked Skye off the boat that night, and she heard all kinds of things about him. She was starting to think he was one of those bad people Skye had mentioned knowing before.

"What are you doing tomorrow? I don't know if I can make it, I'm supposed to spend time with Bobbi." Jemma sighed, passing up Skye's jokes for a slightly more serious topic. She didn't want to have to go a whole day without seeing Skye, but it was starting to look like that was the way it was going to be.

“Well, I was going to come see you,” her mouth turned down into a slight frown, “But sounds like those plans have got to change.  I guess I’ll hang out with Ward again…he’s been pestering me about disappearing. Or I’ll pick up a shift at the diner.  I could use the money for a new sketchbook.  I’ve almost filled this one up.”

Skye motioned back towards her bag before she pushed herself up onto her elbows and looked down at the mermaid, “Tomorrow is going to suck now, basically. Uh, when we say something ‘sucks’ we mean that we aren’t going to enjoy it.  Or we don’t like something.  Like if you didn’t like collecting clams all the time, you would say ‘collecting clams sucks’.” Skye smiled at that, a little more human slang for Jemma to take back home with her.

She wanted to change the subject though.  She didn’t like talking about how boring her day was going to be tomorrow if Jemma wasn’t going to be around.  “Do you want to see what I drew last night?  I think I got the scales right this time.  Mind if I compare?”  She sat up and reached around, stretch her back a little more, causing a small series of pops, before she grabbed her bag and pulled it over.  She took her book out and flipped through the pages to the newest few she had drawn and laid them out for Jemma to look at.

While Jemma was looking, Skye scooted forward down the beach a little bit, closer to Jemma’s tail.  She took a glance at her sketch and then looked at the pattern and sighed heavily, “Damnit…wrong again.  Your tail is so hard to get right…”

Jemma had been frowning while hearing about how Skye wasn't going to have such a great day tomorrow, and Jemma felt the same way, but the feeling slipped away and was replaced by a smile when Skye got out her sketchbook. Jemma loved to look at her drawings and Skye always seemed happiest while working on them.

She chuckled a little bit because of how frustrated Skye was. Jemma was no artist, but she could imagine that her tail wasn't something so easy to get right. It wasn't until a few seconds later that Jemma realized just how close Skye had gotten, much closer than ever before. She was practically leaning against Jemma's tail and when Jemma saw her reach out to touch it...

Jemma's body tensed and coiled like a spring, and it quickly sprung loose as she jumped away from Skye's touch, sitting up completely with wide eyes and a very embarrassed expression on her face. She was turned now so that her upper body was between Skye and her fins, and she couldn't help but stare down at the sand instead of look into Skye's eyes.

People didn't just do that, and Jemma couldn't blame Skye for not knowing, but she still felt that instinct to pull away. Touching a mermaid's tail was very, _very_ intimate. Not even mermaids did it, not unless they were already partners for life. Jemma's heart was pounding in her chest because of Skye's gesture and she couldn't force herself to look up.

“Woah, woah there, cowgirl…” Skye pulled her hands back quickly, not exactly sure why Jemma had suddenly jumped away.  She held her hands up though, so Jemma could see both of them if she was looking, “I’m sorry…?” She wasn’t sure what she was sorry for, but whatever it had been had clearly frightened the mermaid enough to make her freak out and that was the last thing Skye wanted.

She scooted back even, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them, “I…did I do something?  Jemma, I didn’t mean to.  I don’t know what I did, so I-I need you to uhm…explain please?  So I don’t do it again.  I don’t wanna freak you out…I promise.”

Jemma bit her lip and continued to stare down at the sand as if the mix of browns had suddenly become more interesting. She was debating whether or not to actually tell Skye what bothered her, it was very personal and she wasn't quite sure how to say or explain it to her.

"It's...it's nothing." Jemma stuttered, but when she finally managed to look up at Skye, she felt guilty. Skye looked so worried and confused and Jemma didn't want her to be. "Well, it's not nothing...it's a lot more than nothing." Jemma ran her fingers back through her hair to brush it out of her face before she finally made eye contact with Skye again, but it made her blush.

"Touching a mermaid's tail...it's personal. Not even we do it unless...well, it's...it's only something that _partners_ do." Jemma was sure her face looked as sunburnt as Skye sometimes was, and she couldn't be more embarrassed. "You just startled me, that's all."

Skye was almost afraid that when Jemma first spoke that she wasn’t going to tell her what had happened, and that just made the brunette even more worried, but when the mermaid finally spoke up, she nodded.  She understood personal space issues and she certainly didn’t want to violate any of Jemma’s space or traditions or whatever they were.  They were important for a reason and Skye had no intention in stepping all over them.

“Yeah?  That’s cool, that’s a really cool, special thing.  I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to intrude or scare you,” She let herself relax, letting go of her knees so her legs could stretch out again, “I won’t try to touch it again.  I’m sorry.  I don’t know what I was thinking even really…like if I could somehow feel the pattern maybe drawing it would be easier, but I can just work with my eyes.  I’ll get it right eventually, it’s no big deal,” Skye smiled weakly to the mermaid, hoping that everything was settled again and they could go back to how it had been a few minutes ago. She didn’t want Jemma to leave early because of her.

“There's…uhm…a few more sketches you missed…I think, if you want to look.  Or you could tell me anything you want me to bring next time.  I keep forgetting to grab everything before I come out.”

Jemma sighed audibly, glad that everything was okay and that Skye had been so good about it. She scooted closer again, eager to see more of Skye's artwork. After seeing so much of it, Jemma was starting to have a little more of an eye for it, she could sort of see what Skye meant about the scales not being quite right.

"It's okay, no harm done." Jemma assured her, already engaged in the sketches once again.

"This one is the closest." Jemma flipped back a few pages to one of Skye's sketches where her tail was fairly accurate, only slightly off. It wasn't even strange to her that Skye's sketchbook was full of drawings of her anymore.

As she continued to try and act normal again, Jemma couldn't help but think about what would have happened if she hadn't moved away so quickly. Would she have liked it if Skye touched her scales? The thought wasn't unpleasant, quite the opposite, actually. The only reason she'd denied the advance at all was because she had practically heard Bobbi scolding her and she didn't want to do anything she might regret. The longer she thought about it, though, the more she realized it was Bobbi and her pod that would regret it, not Jemma.

“You know, I thought so…” Skye sighed and picked up the sketchbook, looking closely at the picture that Jemma had pointed out as the closest to accurate.  Skye just couldn’t see where she was getting it wrong…she just knew that it was.  “I tried it again here though,” She flipped the next page and pointed, still shaking her head, “Guess it got worse.  Without a picture it’s hard to remember it when I go home.  I need like…a magnifying glass or something,” She set the book back down and turned her attention to the actual ocean, looking out across it with a sigh.  It was so beautiful, and yet she was so afraid of it…but Jemma lived there every day, so how bad could it really be?

“I guess perfection isn’t meant to be captured by human hands.  Oh, a magnifying glass is something that enlarges the picture of something.  Like, if you were to hold it over the sand, you could see all the individual grains better, instead of just a big glob.” She waved her hand in the air as she rattled off another explanation.

As Skye explained another object, Jemma barely paid attention, too stuck on the fact that Skye had called her perfect. The way she'd said it had been so unceremonious, so casual, like she actually believed it was true.

Jemma's breath caught in her throat as she looked between Skye's hand, the sketch, and her tail. Could she? She found that she actually wanted Skye to run her hands over her scales, feel them as well as see them. When mutual, that feeling alone would have been enough for two mermaids to match up, so why would it be so different for her and Skye? Just because Skye had legs?

Dangerous thoughts began to enter Jemma's head. She started to doubt everything the pod had ever taught her, and she was beginning to favor Skye. She no longer wanted the pod and their stupid rules to dictate how she felt about Skye and who she let touch her tail. Like she had said earlier, it was personal, so Jemma felt she had the right to make this decision for herself.

"You'll get it right eventually." Jemma said quietly, reaching for Skye's hand and enclosing it in hers. Jemma's gaze fell onto Skye's eyes, lingering there with a certain intensity as she brought Skye's hand downwards and pressed her palm against her scales, where her thigh would have been had she had legs instead.

Skye was too busy rattling on about something else.  She had gotten fairly accustomed to Jemma grabbing her hands or her arms.  It was like the mermaid was as intrigued by her skin as Skye was by her scales, except that Skye didn't mind and it didn't hold quite the same meaning.  She was so used to this, in fact, she barely paid attention at all until she caught Jemma's eyes and felt her hand on something warm and smooth, not unlike the heat radiating off a cold rock after being in the sun all day.  It certainly wasn't skin, and when Skye looked down, she realized where it was.  She moved to draw her hand away, slowly, unsure and apologetic that she had somehow managed to touch her scales despite what Jemma had said, only she stopped when she realized the mermaid's hand was on top of her own, keeping it there.

Skye's eyes got wider.  She wasn't sure how to react and she was confused.  "I thought...I thought you said...I didn't think I was allowed to?" She asked finally, not having really found the right words, but unable to think of any others.  She suddenly felt honored, but she didn't know why Jemma had changed her mind when she had been so vehemently against  it before.

From what she could tell, they were smooth, but hard.  Certainly not unlike fish scales but somehow significantly different at the same time.  Jemma didn't feel slimy, like she thought of when she had touched her one pet goldfish back when she had been seven.  She wanted to examine closer, wanted to run her hand along and feel the expanse of her tail and all the scales, to get the pattern into her head and just genuinely satisfy her curiosity and need to feel her.

Skye wasn't the only one who was completely bewildered, Jemma was still surprised by her own actions. This was the first time someone had really touched her tail like this and it sent a shiver up Jemma's spine, as if she had been cold before and the heat of Skye's palm suddenly warmed her up. She found that she quite liked it, she liked it very much. 

"I-I changed my mind." Jemma mumbled, not really sure how to explain her thinking to Skye when she was so embarrassed like this. She felt exposed, but it wasn't necessarily a bad feeling.

 "I, uhm, I think I like it. Do you?" Jemma asked, referring to Skye's hand still on her tail. She was suddenly worried that Skye thought it was weird, maybe she wasn't a fan of her tail now that she actually knew what it felt like.

“It's…” Again, Skye wasn’t sure that she had the words for it.  She liked the feel of the scales under her hand as she let her fingers move over them just a little.  Skye could feel where they connected to one another and made a protective blanket over Jemma’s tail.  She had been quiet for a moment, just in awe, before she realized she hadn’t really answered the mermaid’s question.

“Yeah...yeah, I like it.  It’s really great,” The artist smiled, it was small, but she was still amazed.  “M-may I?” She asked suddenly, looking between Jemma’s eyes and her hand, as if even Jemma laying her hand on her scales wasn’t quite permission enough.  She got a little nod, and Skye turned her attention back to the mermaid’s tail.

The artist adjusted herself, scooting just a little bit closer so she could angle herself to get a better look, and slowly, she slid her hand out from under Jemma’s and gently ran it across the length of her tail, taking in the pattern and how it felt.  This close up, she could already see places she had gotten wrong in her drawings.  The pattern was so complicated, with layers overlapping every which way.  Skye was too mesmerized and a little breathless ‘wow’ escaped her lips before she took her hand away.  She wanted to touch it more, to examine it carefully, to feel the curious texture under her fingers more, and if Jemma liked it, all the better.

“It’s really beautiful, thank you, Jemma,” Skye brought her hands back to herself, scooting back up so she was closer to the top half of the mermaid, just letting her eyes wander a minute longer before she brought them back.  “I think that helped...want to see?” Skye grinned wide then and grabbed for her book and a pencil, putting them both in her lap as she flipped to the next clean page.  It was the last one in the book.

“Oh look. last page.  I’d better make it good.  See how close to perfect I can get...I’ll be a goddess of art yet,” She set to work quickly, trying to occupy herself after the intense moment before.  She was a little flustered and embarrassed herself and she didn’t want the mermaid to know.

Jemma would have to be blind not to notice, and it made her blush herself. She missed Skye's hand the moment it left her tail and she realized that it had definitely not been a mistake. Bobbi was wrong, Skye was her best friend, more than that probably. She didn't care if an ancestor of hers had been unlucky, that was one person out of the so many that shared the Earth with them.

"You'll get it right one of these times, I know you will." Jemma assured Skye, scooting closer so she could watch as Skye's hand and pencil scratched lines onto the page. She could watch it for days and not get bored, it was one of the most fascinating things she'd learned about so far. There were amazing pieces of technology like cameras and cellphones, but still her favorite was Skye's art. A soft hand fell onto Skye's knee as she worked, and Jemma smiled contently as the image started to take shape.

It was hard to ignore Jemma’s touch, especially when Skye was trying to busy herself and not think about it, but the task was easier said than done.  She liked that Jemma didn’t really hesitate, after all, she didn’t mind.  Skye figured she was as probably just as fascinating to Jemma as Jemma was to her, and they were friends, so why wouldn’t they be touching each other?  Skye knew by now already she wanted more than that, but was she being too greedy?

Touching her tail, actually running her hand along Jemma’s scales made her more real than anything, even though she had been talking to her now for the past few weeks.  It was as if, all of a sudden, it was solidified.  It was a fact.  Mermaids were real and she wasn’t stuck in some sort of fantasy.

Skye took her time, drawing on the paper.  She felt a little nervous when Jemma watched, more pressure to get it all right, but she did enjoy it.  Jemma was always excited and appreciated everything she drew and it was very flattering to have such a fan.  The silence between them wasn’t awkward, Skye was just focusing and she knew the mermaid was happy just to watch, but as she approached the tail again and the scales, she started to let out small frustrated noises.

She began to erase more and more often and the harder she tried, it was like the worse she got.  Without really thinking about it a second time, Skye put her free hand down on Jemma’s scales again, feeling over them, taking it in.  She tried to keep her eyes off the girl's face, she knew she would just blush more if she looked at her.  Skye kept her hand on Jemma’s tail, just rubbing, feeling each individual one with her fingers and trying to get the image of them in her head while she drew at the same time.  Finally done, she withdrew her hand and put the pencil down, sitting back with a disappointed look on her face, “It’s still not right…there’s just something…I can’t get…”

Jemma was pleasantly surprised when Skye had put her hand on her tail a second time, she'd thought Skye was a little more shy than that, but she definitely enjoyed it. It was like when Skye was touching her, some kind of tension was released and she felt all kinds of relaxed. Happiness couldn't even begin to describe it, and she was finally starting to understand those special bonds between partners like her parents.

When Skye's hand moved away, Jemma finally snapped back to attention and looked down at the sketch in Skye's lap. Even though Skye was still having trouble, Jemma thought that every time she made another attempt every other aspect of the sketch was better. Skye had pretty much perfected Jemma's face at this point, it was just the scales. The rest of it was perfect.

"It's still better than last time." Jemma pointed out, and it was the truth. The scales looked accurate, but like Skye, Jemma could tell that they were still missing something, like they lacked some important detail that neither of them could figure out.

“Yeah?  Well, I’ve got the rest of you down to a T, I guess,” Skye chuckled and closed the book, setting it aside and leaning back while bracing herself up with her hands, “I need a new book now.  All those pages are full.  I’ll have to buy another one tomorrow so I can keep practicing.  I’m not gonna quit till I get it right, you know.” Skye nodded more to herself than actually to Jemma, but she put on a big toothy grin when she looked back over at the mermaid.

“Thanks uhm…for today, and everything.  I’m glad you let me touch them.  They’re so cool and colorful…your tail looks like a galaxy out in space or something with all those colors.  You don’t know what a galaxy is…” Skye sighed and shut her eyes, “Guess I know what I’m bringing pictures of next time.  You’ll see, I think you’ll agree, although you’re probably prettier than that,” It sort of slipped out, like Skye had a habit of doing.  It was like she forgot to filter the thoughts in her head before they got to her mouth and so the artist sat in rigid silence, face getting redder and redder, and it wasn’t because of the sun.  She had given up at this point, it was hardly worth trying to redeem herself.

Like Skye, Jemma was blushing, and she occupied herself by drawing little patterns in the sand. It had been a wonderful visit, so much had happened. The necklace still hung around Skye's neck and it made Jemma bubbly inside. She'd never felt this way about anyone else. Skye was very special to her, but that was why she had to keep their friendship a secret.

It was already late afternoon, and Jemma was surprised Bobbi hadn't already tried calling her back, so she figured she'd go on her own this time. It was best not to make her sister have to get on her tail every day, it would only make her even more curious about where Jemma was running off to all the time.

Jemma inhaled slowly, sighing slightly as she looked back up at Skye once more. She couldn't wait to see the pictures Skye said she was going to bring, but for now it was time to say goodbye. They wouldn't see each other the next day, but Jemma would find a way to deal with it.

"I should probably go now." She said solemnly, looking back towards the water. "Thanks again for the camera, I'll take lots of cool pictures." She smiled, carefully picking up the foreign object and slipping it into her pouch.

“Awesome,” Skye smiled shyly, suddenly all butterflies and nervous again, but she tried to shake it away.  It had indeed been a wonderful day and although she was sad that she wouldn’t be seeing Jemma tomorrow, she knew that they would make up for it the next day they could hang out again.

“I look forward to seeing them all.  I can’t wait,” She kept her smile up, but still sighed, “So I’ll see you in two days?”

"Absolutely." Jemma agreed, a big, dopey smile on her face. She took her time pushing herself back into the water, but she came back up once more after submerging herself. "When the sun is high." She pointed up into the air. It was more of a joke to them now, something Jemma had just begun to say upon parting, and it made them both smile.

 


	5. Kiss With A Fist

“So you’re actually gonna spend some time with your friend, huh, Johnson?” Ward clasped her on the shoulder, hard, and gave it a squeeze.  Skye groaned, shrugging him off as they walked down the road towards the main pier downtown.  Ward had wanted to go to the arcade for a little while to wait for his other friends, then they were all supposed to go to the other end of the island and play soccer on the beach.

Skye ran, so she wasn’t worried about the soccer, she was just worried about having to spend all day with Ward and Kara and the rest of his ‘gang’…but the diner had been fully staffed and Jemma wouldn’t be around today so she didn’t have much of a choice.

“Yeah, you said you wanted me to, so here I am,” the brunette walked next to the taller man in silence, waiting for his next round of banter to begin.  They were almost at the arcade.  At least she could play games for a little while instead of actually having to pay attention to each other.

It wasn’t that Skye disliked Ward, so to speak, it was more that she disliked his presence.  Okay so maybe she did dislike Ward, but still, he was basically her only friend other than Jemma now and it did help to have him around for days like this.  If he hadn’t asked her to hang out she would just be stuck in her room, working on Jemma’s tail, trying to get it right and inevitably getting frustrated.

“You haven’t been around much lately, you know that?” Ward started and Skye’s eyes practically rolled all the way right back into her head.

“I’ve been busy…”  She could already see where this conversation was going, and she wanted to avoid it.

“Your mom says you’re going to the beach a lot.  You know, Johnson, for someone who is scared shitless by water, you sure have been hanging around it a lot.”  It sounded like a pointed knife, jabbed neatly into where she didn’t want it.  In her personal business.

“The art theme has been nature and since we live on an island, there’s only so much nature to appreciate.  Half the class is doing the beach, the other half is doing the palm forest on the east side, I picked the beach— it’s closer,” Skye retorted, walking behind her friend and into the Arcade.  Ward had that tone of voice she recognized and knew to be his prying voice.  He wasn’t going to let up, which meant she was in for a very long day.

The loud music and sounds of the games was very different from the sound of Jemma’s soft voice and the rolling of the waves.  She much preferred Jemma, although now that she was here, she wondered what the girl would think of a videogame if she could ever see one, or even, if she could play one.  It would probably blow her mind.  It made Skye laugh to think it and she quickly regretted it.

“What you laughing at?”  Ward’s arm was around her shoulder in no time, leaning heavily against her, which Skye did not appreciate, but she was too small to shrug all his weight off this time.

Skye quickly had to think of a lie, and she found an easy one, “About how easy it is going to beat you at this racing game,” She pointed to the corner of the arcade where two motorcycles were hooked up to a screen, flashing big red and blue letters ‘Start Race’.

“In your fucking dreams, Skye.  I’ll show you how a master does it,” Ward challenged back, giving her a hard slap on the back, which made her ache, and soon the two were wasting an untold number of quarters on race after race until the rest of Ward’s friends came in and found them.

They hung around a while longer, playing more games and they had some pizza and a few beers.  More than a few.  Skye was coaxed into a couple of her own and by the time they managed to make it to the other side of the island for soccer, Skye wasn’t sure that any of them should be playing, let alone having driven there.

Skye quickly forgot about the morals of it though as teams were picked and the game started.  All of Ward’s friends liked to play rough, especially Ward himself, so Skye had to cope.  They put her as the center forward, a position she regretted immediately since she wasn’t really any good at soccer.  Ward of course made himself the second forward for his team and got very upset when his plays did not pan out.

By the end of the day Kara’s team had won and Ward was in a mildly drunken pissy state.  The rest of the afternoon went as well as Skye could have expected and by the time she got home into her own bed she just wanted it to be the next day so she could see Jemma again.  She was much more excited for the morning and the new day, because Jemma would be back, and her days with Jemma were always the best ones.

_______________

Jemma and Bobbi were up bright and early, already getting ready for their plans for the day. They'd arranged it so long ago, though Jemma could hardly remember. Maybe it had only been a week, she wasn't sure. The only thing she really knew how to focus on was Skye, so her time at home with her pod seemed to drag on endlessly.

"Hurry up, if we want to get further than last time we need all day to do it." Bobbi pointed out, tying on her own pouch with a little bit of food to last them the day. It had been a habit of theirs to go exploring, it was more of a job, really, since they were meant to map out the area on the stone walls of their caves. It was a job they had finished ages ago when they first relocated here, but they still sometimes tried to travel further and expand their map. When they had planned this, Bobbi had guilted her into it, using the fact that she hadn't been around much recently.

"Yes, I know, I'm ready." Jemma laughed a little bit at Bobbi's impatience and slipped off the rocks into the water. Their caves were designed perfectly for mermaids, the entrance was underwater, but there were multitudes of ledges and small rooms of air inside. Mermaids couldn't breathe underwater, only hold their breath for a very long time, so their place of residence did need air, so that they could sleep easily. They were lucky enough this time to have found such a good shelter.

Jemma wasn't in a particularly good mood as they headed out, she would have much rather spent the day with Skye than swim out into the ocean, even further from people. This was her sister, though, and Jemma did love her. It was only fair she tried to spend time with her too.

"See, this is fun." Bobbi stated once they'd stopped for a quick break. They'd gotten fifty miles already and Jemma had to admit that she'd lost a little bit of her stamina sitting on the beach with Skye all the time, but she wasn't sure if Bobbi had noticed. "I don't get why we don't do it as often as we used to, you're always so distant now." She started to complain, and Jemma knew that tone.

"I'm sorry, I've just been busy." Jemma shrugged. She knew this wasn't a very adequate answer, and with a pod so tightly knit as hers, it was hard to keep anyone from finding out. It's not like she could give some other excuse without people realizing it was fake.

"Speaking of, what exactly have you been busy with?" Bobbi asked, eyeing her curiously as they continued to eat their lunch of shrimp. Jemma swallowed the bite currently in her mouth and wished she had still been chewing so she had longer to come up with an answer.

"You know, this and that." She waved her hand like it was no big deal, but she could already tell Bobbi wasn't buying it and she feared having to give a real answer or Bobbi investigating.  It wasn't just frowned upon by the pod to come into contact with humans, it was forbidden, and she could get into serious trouble for it, if it came to that.

Knowing that Jemma wasn't going to really tell her, Bobbi let it go and finished up, grumbling something about staying out of trouble as she got ready to swim again.

They continued in mostly silence, but it was easiest to swim that way, so neither of them minded. Occasionally, when Bobbi wasn't looking, Jemma would snap a picture of a stingray or a dolphin or a coral reef. Everything had been going fine until they reached a new wrecked boat that they hadn't previously seen before, they'd made it outside of their map again as it seemed. Jemma's first choice was to take a picture of the massive sunken boat for Skye, but as she did, Bobbi finally noticed.

"What are you doing?" She asked skeptically, like she thought Jemma was being crazy. Jemma remembered feeling the same way about Skye and it made her smile fondly, but that didn't help how nosey Bobbi was being. "I'm sorry, am I missing something here?" She asked, now confused, as she approached Jemma and tried to get a good look at the object in her hands before Jemma shoved it back into her pouch.

"Oh, no, it's nothing, just something I found floating around the other day." Jemma was quick to come up with a lie, though her sounds were finicky, and Bobbi knew this was her tell. Jemma was lying, and Bobbi knew it. Thankfully, Jemma's sister didn't press her any further, only narrowed her eyes and looked at her doubtfully, and they hurried to commit the new place to memory before rushing back to the caves to make it there before dark and expand the carving on the wall.

The rest of the night went smoothly, and Jemma was up again at the crack of dawn, searching for a few things before she went to meet with Skye.

 

_____________

 

            It was going to be another long day, but at least this day would be fun because she wouldn’t be spending it with Ward.  She wouldn’t be spending another day with Ward for a very long time.  As Skye climbed the rocks to get into her and Jemma’s grotto, she winced, realizing she should have taken more ibuprofen, or at least brought some with her.  She was sore from soccer too, but that wasn’t exactly all, and she only hoped that Jemma didn’t notice.

Her bag hit the ground first, as it usually did, followed by the artist who slid down the side, landing with a staggering thud compared to her usually at least a little more graceful thud.  She had opted out of her bathing suit today.  It was still scorching outside, so she had brought plenty of water and snacks, but she had chosen regular jean shorts and a slightly baggy plain white shirt.  She also had a snap back on because she had rolled right out of bed and her hair had been a mess.  She’d also remembered her sunglasses which she now took off and hung at the neckline of her shirt as she leaned over, gritting her teeth as she did, when she picked up her bag and turned to walk down towards the beach.

A familiar stack of rocks rested at the shore and it made her smile, “Jemma! I’m here now, you can come out!  I’ve got those space pictures!”

Upon hearing Skye's voice, Jemma grinned and came out from behind her rock, swimming right up to the shore and pulling herself up a few feet like she'd done practically every day for weeks now. She was genuinely excited to see more pictures and learn new things, but all of that went away when she got a good look at her friend. Skye was wearing different clothes than usual, and the way she moved was different. Jemma paid very close attention to detail, she wouldn't be surprised if she had what humans referred to as a sixth sense, she had a knack for knowing when things were wrong.

The smile dropped off her face as Skye came closer and awkwardly sat down, using a different range of motion than usual and doing it slowly, adjusting a few times before she finally settled. Even her face looked different somehow. She was undoubtedly happy, but there was something else lingering that she hadn't seen before except maybe the first day they'd spoken when Skye still had a killer headache.

"You're in pain." Jemma stated bluntly, scooting closer to her friend and grasping Skye's hand in her own. Her eyes searched Skye's with deep concern, waiting for an explanation.

_Wow, that was fast…_ Skye grinned, but only one side of her face turned up into a smile.  She really wasn’t going to be able to get away with it, but she was going to try.  She didn’t need Jemma worrying about her, Skye was the one who needed to worry about Jemma.  She was the rare creature here who was a secret.

“It’s nothing…I played soccer yesterday.  It’s a game where a bunch of people kick a ball around and try to get it into each other’s uh…goals.  You get points if you get it and the team with the most points wins,” She tried explaining, using something new to distract Jemma.  “It’s intense is all, I’m just a little sore.  I don’t normally play sports.  Sports is what we call games like soccer,” She squeezed the mermaid's hand to assure her that she was alright, and then wiggled out of it, turning to her back, trying to do so as normally as possible so her friend would stop worrying.

She pulled out some folded up printed images of galaxies she had found that were similar colors to Jemma’s tail.  She thought the mermaid would like them and hopefully again, seeing something new would make her more curious about life and less curious about Skye.

Skye was wrong, though. Jemma could not be distracted from Skye, not when there was a possibility that she was injured. She completely disregarded the images in favor of trying to figure out exactly what was wrong with Skye, her eyes first scanning over her legs and quickly ruling them out as what was hurting. All of her visible skin looked normal, but Jemma supposed that was why she'd decided to wear a shirt today when it was even hotter than normal.

Any other time Jemma would have been embarrassed about it, but once she situated herself in an upright position right next to Skye, she went about sliding her hand across her stomach and around her side with a look of concentration on her face, trying to find out what exactly was wrong. It didn't take long for Skye to wince, and Jemma's hand froze against the spot on her ribcage, under her chest. Before Skye could say anything else, Jemma tugged her shirt up and gasped when she saw the ugly, purple bruise there.

"This... is from soccer?" Jemma asked skeptically, though it was obvious she knew the real answer. She knew Skye well enough at this point to know she had been lying before, and there was only one other reason she could think of. "Who did you play soccer with?" She asked, her question giving away that she already thought she knew the answer. Jemma's fingers lightly traced the skin around her bruise, and she suddenly wished there was more she could do.

“ _Friends_ , I played soccer with friends,” Skye hissed when Jemma traced her hand over the bruise and she grabbed her shirt away from her and shoved it back down, “I got hit by the ball.  It hits hard when you kick it around—I’m fine!” Her voice raised some, but clearly she wasn’t fine.  Skye knew she she wasn’t fine.  She hadn’t so much as been hit when someone kicked the ball but had been hit when someone kicked her.  That someone had been Ward.

She had missed the scoring goal.  They could have won but then Kara took it away and ran all the way down the field with it while Ward was busy being angry and taking it out on her.  He was just…rough, and passionate about winning.  She didn’t understand why she was so hesitant, so vehemently denying that something had happened.  Perhaps it was because she was used to it.  That’s just how Ward was and she had to deal with it.

She had gotten snippy, and she hadn’t yet done that with Jemma and although she immediately regretted it, Skye wasn’t sure how else to be.  She’d been in defense mode about this sort of thing before, with her mother.  It was obvious Ward was a terrible friend and a terrible influence and a terrible person, but other than Jemma, Ward was her only person to be around.  She didn’t have many friends and Ward’s friends weren’t exactly _her_ friends but she had made it work all these years.

“I’m sorry…I’m just, it hurts.  I’m fine, drop it…” Skye pulled her knees up to her chest, even though it hurt, and she wrapped her arms around her legs so Jemma couldn’t keep staring at it.  Out of sight, out of mind…she hoped.

Jemma couldn't help but feel hurt when Skye snipped at her, she'd never had anyone even remotely act this way towards her. Mermaids didn't do that and Jemma was new to this feeling, she didn't like it.

"You said that first day that you knew bad people." Jemma said quietly, almost under her breath. She remembered it very clearly, along with other stories and complaints she'd heard about the man over the last few weeks she'd known Skye. It was obvious that it hadn't just been the ball, or if it had, it had been intentional.

"He shouldn't be your friend." Jemma sighed, guessing Skye hadn't really meant it as an offense to her. Jemma couldn't really understand why Skye would continue to spend time with someone who did things like this, but there were a lot of things about people she didn't understand.

Jemma let out a sad exhale and readjusted to lean into her friend, resting her chin on Skye's shoulder. She didn't know what else to say, so she thought about all the things Skye had taught her for an answer. "Ward sucks." She settled on this, remembering Skye teaching her the word two days ago.

She hadn’t said it was Ward, but Skye supposed that all of his usual indicators were present and so it was easy for Jemma to guess, especially she continuously complained about the man.  At her last exclamation though, the brunette had to laugh.  It made her chest hurt to do so, but she did and she laughed hard, finally putting on a real smile.

“Yeah, I agree…Ward sucks,” Skye leaned into the mermaid too and sighed, pulling over the pictures again and unfolded them, “How about we stop talking about Ward and we start talking about you, huh?” She handed Jemma the pictures of the swirling, star filled galaxies that were so close to the color combinations of her tail.

“I thought your scales looked like these the first time I saw them…and the northern lights, but I didn’t bring pictures of those today, I can bring those tomorrow…” She was content to calm down now.  Jemma’s joke had helped, a lot, and she felt bad for having tried to lie to her.  Obviously she had excellent skills of perception so when it happened again, because Skye knew it would, she would just have to tell her outright.

Jemma didn't know what Skye was laughing at, she'd just used the word like she thought it was supposed to be used, but she was glad Skye was smiling now instead of sulking. After one more glance at her face to make sure she really was alright, Jemma let herself take the papers from Skye. She smoothed them out across her lap, and the colors on the first one matched the scales behind it almost perfectly.

"These are really up there in the sky?" Jemma asked, looking upwards. It was still the afternoon so of course she didn't see anything but baby blue and white, but she was still bewildered just imagining it. She didn't know what the northern lights were, at least not yet, but she couldn't wait to find out. There were so many things she wanted to know about and she was glad she had Skye here to ask.

"Will you show me a daisy next time too?" She questioned. If Skye had been named after them, they had to have been beautiful.

            “Yeah, they’re really in the sky, way waaaay out there where we can’t see with our eyes.  Scientists have to use really powerful telescopes…uhm…like a magnifying glass, but for space.  And they send people and cameras into space too to take pictures like this,” Skye explained, although she figured she could have probably done it a little better.  She might have to actually start reading up on things to help give Jemma a better explanation.

“And of course I can bring you a daisy,” Skye chuckled at that too and finally moved, shifting away from Jemma, but only to lay down against her towel, “I can bring you whatever you want.”  She stuck her sunglasses back onto her face, since she was laying on her back and facing the sun, so that she didn’t have to strain to look up at the mermaid.

One hand rested behind her head while the other was at her side, idly tracing a light couple of fingers over those scales that she just couldn’t get right.  She liked that Jemma grinned when she did this, so she wasn’t apt to stop unless she was told to.

“Anyway, you heard about my awful day yesterday, how was yours? What did you and Bobbi do?”

Jemma shifted even closer when Skye's fingers began to dance over her scales, so close that her tail was lightly pressed against Skye's leg.

"Bobbi and I, it's our job to update the map carved into the cave wall, so sometimes we go make sure nothing has changed. Today we went out for fun to see if we could go further than what we've mapped and map more of the region. We got close to sixty miles out before we had to turn around with enough time to make it back. So basically I swam 120 miles." Jemma said nonchalantly, like it wasn't anything impressive. To her it wasn't, they could swim at high speeds for long periods of time, but she didn't realize how unusual this was for Skye.

“Wow, that many?!  That’s a lot,” Skye was more than impressed.  She supposed dolphins and sharks and whales and other sea creatures like that could swim a long distance, but she never really looked up how much.  To hear Jemma had swam 120 miles was almost incomprehensible to her.

“I can’t even swim a foot, so I’m impressed,” She let her hand keep dancing around a little more, now that Jemma had gotten closer.  “Take any pictures yesterday while you were traveling so far away from me, huh?  Did you see anything interesting?  What does the bottom of the ocean even look like?”

"Oh, I actually filled up the camera, it stopped working." Jemma giggled, finally having remembered. She'd been excited about it before, but honestly she'd forgotten when she'd seen that Skye hadn't been feeling very great.

Jemma didn't just grab the camera, she untied her whole pouch and set it down on Skye's towel. She did take the camera out then and handed it to her, but she wasn't through.

"I also brought you these." Jemma was grinning like a fool. She'd known how much Skye liked her necklace with the sea glass, so she'd gathered some more. "I thought maybe you could make art out of things from the sea, too, if you like." Jemma tilted the pouch, which had been quite a bulge before, and what looked like a few hundred colorful stones formed a small mountain on the towel.

“Woah! How much sea glass did you pick up?!” The artist's face was alight again as she pushed herself to sit up to look down at the pile Jemma had collected for her.  She picked up a few at a time, examining them and rolling them over in her fingers.  “I could definitely use these for something…in a sculpture maybe or I dunno…there’s lots of possibilities,” She turned to look at the mermaid, still smiling and noticed how proud she looked.  It made her chuckle.  She wasn’t surprised that Jemma had already filled the camera either.  She would have to get her a new one.  Skye was sure she had taken pictures of nearly everything she had seen probably.  She honestly couldn’t wait to get the film out and develop it in the photo lab.

She took the camera and put it back into her own bag and started transferring the stones a handful at a time into her bag as well.  “Thank you so much, Jems.  I can’t wait to use them in something.  I’ll have to think of an extra special way to use them, get my art juices flowing…Ah, which reminds me too, I have something else for you too.”

Her hand reached into her bag past all the stones and pulled out a book, “I rented this from the campus library for you.  You can’t take it with you, but I can bring it every day.  I uhm…I don’t want to be offensive, but…can you…can you read?  I know you can speak English, but can you read it too?  Have you seen a book before?”

"We're only taught verbal English, and it's really only to honor our heritage from the North Sea, and how we used to communicate with humans more often a very long time ago. We don't even have our own written language." Jemma explained, though she opened up the book anyway. Her hands were dry by now, so it wasn't a problem, but she still didn't know what exactly to do.

"Will you read it?" Jemma asked, sliding the book back over towards Skye. Maybe she would pick it up quickly by watching Skye, either way it would be interesting.

“Yeah, absolutely.  I’ve got it for a week and I can rent it anytime so there isn’t a rush to finish it,” Skye smiled and took the book back, flipping to the cover, “It’s kind of cheesy.  Uhm…cheesy is when something is…cliché?  I’m not really sure how to explain it.  Well, maybe it's ironic, and I don’t want it to offend you, and I want you to like it…but this is basically a fairytale about mermaids.  So this is basically how I thought mermaids were until I met you,” Skye grinned and propped herself up, adjusting herself so that she could easily read and be close to Jemma so she could see too.

“It’s called _The Little Mermaid_ by Hans Christian Andersen…” She thought now that maybe telling Jemma about a story about a mermaid who falls in love with a human could be a little suggestive, and that in the end the mermaid is turned into sea foam because the prince didn’t love her back was sort of a horrible story and a bad first impression of the human version of mermaids…but it was a classic…and maybe she could appreciate it.  Either way it was too late now.

Skye turned to the first page, settling in against her own mermaid, laying a hand fondly on her hip right where her scales began as she started to read.  She wasn’t sure how many things she would have to stop and explain along the way.  It was going to be a long process, but it was something new and Jemma always liked everything she had brought so far.

 

__________

 

Something was up with her little sister, Bobbi just knew it. She tended to have an insight for these sort of things, and Jemma had definitely been acting strange as of late. Well, stranger than usual, since Jemma had always been a little different than most of the mermaids and mermen in the pod. She was too curious, too reckless, and it always had Bobbi worried, even more so now than when she had been little.

Jemma had been distant for weeks, Bobbi couldn't even seem to hold her attention when it had been just the two of them out on the mapping trip. Jemma used to love mapping trips, but it had looked like she would have much rather been somewhere else, probably the same place she'd been disappearing to for so long now. That had only been the beginning, Bobbi had absolutely no idea what Jemma had been doing with that strange little box. There were really only two explanations, either her sister was going crazy...or she was talking to humans.

Bobbi would have felt guilty about following and snooping before, but she was genuinely worried. What if Jemma ended up like their ancestor, with a harpoon through her gut or something equally as awful? It was her duty as a pod member to follow Jemma that morning, and she was horrified by what she found. It had just seemed like a beach trip, Jemma had just been treading water behind a rock, until a human girl suddenly slid down the boulders. Bobbi had wanted to use the highest pitch possible to warn Jemma to run away, but the human girl suddenly called out Jemma's name like she knew her.

Bobbi stayed hidden behind her own rock and watched in horror as Jemma actually beached herself and began what looked like talking to a human like they were old friends. It only got progressively worse as Bobbi continued to watch, and she was stuck between needing to look away and not being able to peel her eyes off the scene.

As if it all hadn't been bad enough already, Bobbi watched as the human's arm snaked around Jemma's waist and her hand rested on her tail. Bobbi was appalled, her blood was boiling and she was almost sickened. Jemma didn't know what she was doing, the human must have done something to her. Her little sister was breaking so many laws. Leaving the ocean, associating with a human, and...what looked like partnering with a human. Bobbi just couldn't believe it.

She didn't know what to do. She couldn't tell May, the leader of their pod, as Jemma could be severely punished. Usually mermaids were incredible peaceful, but after a quick trial Jemma would be deemed a threat to their safety because she'd exposed them. It was practically a capital crime. The only other option was to confront Jemma, the human girl, or both. She wouldn't let this stand, not when there was so much at risk.


	6. Never Let Me Go

Skye knew that Jemma wasn’t supposed to be in their place today, but she couldn’t stand it in her house any longer.  She had homework to do and she knew that if she stayed here, Ward would eventually show up.  He had been more and more on her case recently about always wandering off and never hanging out with him anymore.  He had, of course, apologized for the fit he threw after the soccer game and the bruise he had inflicted, which had now faded, so that Jemma could stop worrying.

She had promised at the end of the day a few days ago that she would try and stop hanging around with Ward and his friends.  Even Jemma knew it was bad and she had never even been around Ward before, so that told Skye that something did, in fact, need to change.  She needed to make a change…she just hadn’t got around to telling him yet.

So of course to avoid that entire conversation, she had packed up her book bag and took the short bike ride to the beach access and walked the twenty minutes down the beach to the wall of rocks.  She needed a peaceful place where she could be left alone to study, especially since she had tests coming up and she had been neglecting them, opting instead to spend the majority of her time with the mermaid.  Skye found she couldn’t help it though.

She had even tried to bring her homework with her on occasion, but that never worked out because she always ended up staring at Jemma now or petting down her scales or drawing her or talking to her.  She was always too distracted.  She would have to catch up today.

The bag went over the wall, and then Skye clambered over, landing back on the sand lightly and took up her bag, walking to the shore when she stopped.  There, at the edge of the water was a rock tower.  It looked a little less elegant than the ones Jemma normally made but perhaps that’s because she had been excited.  Skye hadn’t thought she could come today, but was now exceedingly happy that apparently she had.

Her bag was on the ground in an instant and Skye was rushing to the water line, “Jems?! I thought you weren’t coming today?”

Bobbi's heart was thumping in her chest when she heard the human girl's call. She'd planned ahead and made sure Jemma was busy with odd jobs today so she could confront her "friend", but she wasn't so sure now. Technically she was breaking a law too, but she had to do something. She knew she wouldn't be able to convince Jemma not to come here, so maybe she could scare away the human girl.

That was easier said than done, though, as Bobbi was terrified. Like Jemma had felt at first, her instincts were screaming at her to swim away. She let the image of the human's hand on her sister's tail and the way she called her Jems fuel her to move forward.

She wasn't as slow and smooth as Jemma was in greeting, she sank under the water and practically burst out of it again as close to shore as she could manage, a glare on her face already.

"So you're the one that's going to get Jemma killed." She practically spit, trying to start off strong. If everything she'd heard about humans was true, she'd need to do a grand job to scare her off.

“ _Shit_!”

It was a surprise, to say the least.  Jemma was certainly a lot more graceful and quiet and a whole lot of other things that Skye had been expecting.  She sure hadn’t been expecting this, and so when the strange mermaid came up out of the water practically spitting fire, Skye jumped back.  She had stumbled in the sand and fallen right onto her ass.

“Woah, what the hell?!  Who are you?!  Get Jemma ki—“ She couldn’t even finish the sentence.  The thought was absurd, beyond ridiculous to her.  Skye was careful with Jemma.  No one knew where they met or that she was even meeting with anyone at all and certainly no one knew she was a mermaid.  Skye had been careful.  Exceedingly so and suddenly the frontal assault made sense.

“You must be Bobbi?” Skye scrambled up out of the sand, fists clenched and jaw tight, “What’s your _problem_?  I’m not going to hurt her, we’re friends!”

"Friends?!" Bobbi almost laughed, the suggestion was almost hilarious to her after everything she'd seen. She was definitely uncomfortable with how quick this person was to snap back, she definitely didn't trust her with Jemma or even with herself, she made sure not to move up onto the sand like Jemma had.   
She settled for a scoff, all ready to fire everything she'd been angry about at the human.

"It looked like you wanted to be a lot more than just _friends_ to me." She growled protectively. Letting Jemma partner with someone from the pod was one thing, something Bobbi would even encourage, but a human? No. "Do you even know what you've been doing? Friends don't touch each other's tails like that, it's reserved for lifelong partners that love and care for each other. You basically stated that you'd love her forever and she agreed to it, that's what you two did." She practically yelled, not knowing for sure if Jemma had actually told this person what it meant. It looked like the human was about to open her mouth to speak again, but Bobbi wasn't through.

"And would a _friend_ endanger her like this?! Anyone could stop by here or find out, just like I did. Do you even know what people could do to her? They could put her in a cage, dissect her, kill her..." Bobbi was going on and on about the horror stories from their own and other pods, and she tried her best not to actually think about Jemma in those situations.

"It's not even just humans! You're lucky it was me who found out and not someone else, all the things Jemma has done here with you are enough to get her banished by her own pod! Why would you put a friend into so much danger?!" When Bobbi finally finished getting everything off her back, it was almost difficult to keep tears out of her eyes. She was scared, so scared that something would happen to her sister because of this one human.

All the yelling and all the new information was rattling around Skye’s head like cannon balls and it was giving her a headache and causing a lot more things to ache too.  All she could think of was excuses.  No one came to this part of the beach and Bobbi had only found them obviously because she had been watching them.  She had followed Jemma here.  As far as the touching, Skye couldn’t say that she didn’t like it.  She thought Jemma was wonderful but it seemed to be a much more sacred sort of thing than the mermaid had told her.  It made Skye feel special and embarrassed all at once.

She would be lying if she told Bobbi that she didn’t want to be more than friends…she did, but that was something she would either have to get over or talk to Jemma about.  She knew that Jemma wasn’t allowed to talk to humans but she had no idea that the rules against her were stacked so high and were so serious.  By the end of Bobbi’s speech, Skye wasn’t sure what to say.  She was just taking it all in, still standing there, fists and jaw clenched.

All she could think to say was that she wasn’t a bad human.  She really did like Jemma and they really were friends.  She felt it was Jemma’s choice if she wanted to talk to her or not or let Skye touch her tail…but she wondered what Jemma thought.  Jemma had grabbed her hand to put on her so Skye was pretty sure she didn’t awkwardly force anything.  She just didn’t know where her mind should start and so her mouth couldn’t respond.

It finally rested on the possibilities Bobbi had mentioned.  Everything about this was dangerous for Jemma, which frankly, Skye had guessed that to some degree it was, but she hadn’t expected just _how_ bad it could be not just if the humans found out, but if other mermaids than Bobbi found out.

“I-I don’t want to hurt her, Bobbi.  I…I’m not a bad person…” It was like she couldn’t explain.  Skye didn’t think she could make this situation better.  Bobbi seemed pretty dead set on separating them, which Skye didn’t want to happen…but she had to admit, Jemma’s safety did come first.  Skye wanted that much at least.

"Yeah, we've heard that one before." Bobbi rolled her eyes, seemingly a lot calmer now that she had gotten everything off her chest, but still annoyed and concerned.

"Just leave her alone before something bad happens and you regret everything." Bobbi gave one last warning before diving back into the water, feeling a lot more satisfied with herself. She knew she'd rattled and jolted the human quite a bit, she was counting on it. Now all she had to do was convince Jemma that it would be a good thing for them never to see each other again, though she wasn't sure she was quite prepared for that challenge.

Skye stood there for a long time just watching the water after Bobbi left, not sure what to do.  She had wanted a peaceful day, not all of this.  Things had gone from decent to a shit pile so fast Skye didn’t think she could handle it.  She was mad, she was upset, she was everything in-between.  She hated to think that Bobbi had made good points…but she had.

Skye knew that people couldn’t handle knowing that there were mermaids.  She just happened to be some sort of miracle exception.  Anyone could take too long of a walk on the beach and find them.  One of Jemma’s other pod members could follow her.  Anything.  Anything could happen.

She lashed her foot out and kicked down the rock tower.  It hadn’t been right anyway.  It hadn’t been Jemma’s.  It was false, this whole situation she had gotten herself into was false.  It was a fantasy and it had played out as far, apparently, as it could go.  Skye wasn’t sure how she thought any of this could have ended, probably because she didn’t think it could have ended so soon.

Having known Jemma nearly a month didn’t seem like long enough at all.  They had just gotten started…but Skye didn’t want to put her in danger.  It wouldn’t be fair.  Jemma was the one doing all the risking and she couldn’t let her do that anymore.

Skye didn’t notice she was crying until her cheeks were wet and her chest heaved.  She wiped off her face bitterly, shoving her sleeve across her eyes and nose to get it to go away.  This would be best for Jemma.  Now she could get back to her old life and not be in danger.  She could meet a fun curious merperson like herself and everything would work out…and Skye…Skye could go back to hanging out with Ward.

The thought wasn’t very comforting, but Skye picked up her book bag anyway and walked back towards the rock wall.  The safe space was gone and she didn’t want to stay anymore.  It would only make what she had to decide to do all that much harder, so when she flung her bag over the wall and scrambled up the rocks…she was doing it for the last time.  Jemma would be better off without her.  Skye couldn’t argue with Bobbi on that.

 

__________

 

Skye was just late. She had gotten held up at school or at home or something, that was all. Skye never failed to show up, especially when they'd planned to meet in advance like this, but as the sun gradually became less and less high, Jemma's mood fell with it. She finally resigned at sunset when Skye hadn't shown up and she'd waited all day at the beach.

Jemma had been so excited, she'd found more sea glass for Skye and wanted to give it to her, and she wanted to hear the next chapter of _The Little Mermaid_. She wanted Skye to touch her scales and smile and they could talk about whatever they wanted. But Skye wasn't there. Jemma left the stone tower she'd made that morning to let Skye know that she had been here if she did show up, but she didn't know what else to do and it was time to go home.

Everyone was acting weird around her, like they all knew how depressed she was, but no one knew why. Everyone in the pod kept their eyes down, as was customary for someone who was upset with the intent of making one feel privacy, though it didn't really work for Jemma. It still felt like there was constantly a pair of eyes on her, 24/7.

Jemma had bad dreams all night long, sometimes jerking awake and wondering if Skye was alright. Maybe she had been hurt somehow, and that's why she wasn't there. Jemma simply had no clue, so she went back with her sea glass again the next morning and built a second tower next to the first.

She waited all day, just like the day before, and every hour that passed made her more and more anxious and depressed. Either something was seriously wrong with Skye or she had somehow finally come to the conclusion that she didn't want to waste any time on a friend that didn't even know her culture. Both made her heart ache in different ways, and Jemma dumped the colorful stones into a small pile between the two towers and swam home, feeling more beaten down and rejected than she ever had before.

 

__________

 

It had been four days.  Well, technically three and a half.  It felt weird for Skye to not be at the beach right now, while the sun was high.  Instead she was in the dark room, going through Jemma’s camera and trying to develop the film.  All the pictures looked really great and interesting so far and Skye couldn’t wait to see how they turned out and show Jemma…except she couldn’t, because she wasn’t supposed to be seeing Jemma anymore.

It had been three and a half days since Skye had seen her, which was the longest that they had gone without seeing each other since the mermaid saved her a month ago.  Life seemed dull the past few days, less colorful.  Skye didn’t really have anything to look forward to, at least not after she developed the pictures.

At least once they were ready, she could stare at them all night too instead of just the literally hundred or so drawings and sketches she had done of Jemma.  They were so good, she realized.  They had progressively gotten more and more perfect, but she could only look at them for a few minutes before she got angry or sad or frustrated.  They weren’t right.  They weren’t perfect.  They weren’t Jemma.

And Ward…Ward had been exceptionally more annoying than usual, but Skye hadn’t denied him a hangout session yet because if she did…then she wouldn’t have any friends left.  She would be utterly alone on this stupid island all by herself and she couldn’t handle that.  So some level of douche needed to be tolerated.  She was actually supposed to go with him to walk around his dad’s pathetic excuse for a marine park.

“Knockoff Sea World more like…” Skye snorted to herself as she chuckled in the darkroom, laying another one of the pictures down in the revealing solution.  Jemma had always laughed at her jokes, even when Skye had to explain why they were funny.  It would get easier though, she assumed.  Or that’s what people said when you lost someone.  That’s sort of what it felt like…it hadn’t really felt like a choice…

 

__________

 

What had it been, five days now? It had been five days since Skye just stopped showing up, and every day without an explanation of any kind made Jemma's heart crack a little more. Why didn't she come any more? Why had she just seemingly disappeared off of the face of the earth...or even worse, onto land?  
            Jemma left the rock towers out every day, and little collections of sea glass littered the sand as well. Jemma just didn't get it. Had she done something wrong? No matter how hard Jemma thought about it, she just couldn't find any reason that made any sense of this.

Everyone in the pod noticed her sudden depression, but no one asked about it, as it wasn't polite. Bobbi was particularly watchful, though, and even though it was better knowing Jemma wasn't talking to the human- she had followed her to check- she still didn't like the effect it was having on her sister. She needed her to stop going to that beach, it still wasn't safe and she needed to get over her brief infatuation with the human world.

Bobbi intended to bring this topic up when they were alone, so she planned another mapping trip, but in another direction.

Jemma didn't disagree, it wasn't like she could spend the time with Skye instead, so she didn't argue when Bobbi told her what was happening, and she almost came to quietly. Not a comment at all, just a nod to acknowledge it.

"Jemma, I think you should stop going back to that beach. It isn't safe." They'd gotten thirty miles east before either of them spoke, and when Bobbi finally did, Jemma stopped right where she was. How would Bobbi have known about the beach, and how would she have known that now was the time for Jemma to stop? Jemma was smart, and suddenly it all clicked. Bobbi was the one that had told her she had a job the day after she last saw Skye, and she apparently knew the location of the beach.

"What did you do?" Jemma asked immediately upon figuring it out, swimming in front of Bobbi and grabbing her arm with a firm hand and stiff jaw.

"I didn't do anything you shouldn't have done already, Jemma. Seeing her wasn't safe for you or the pod, eventually you would have-"

"Bobbi!" Jemma was furious, and she had a right to be. It all made sense now, all of this was because of her sister and her stupid hate for humans, even though she'd never actually met one herself up until recently, and Jemma was guessing that Skye wasn't the one being bad.

"What did you say to Skye?!" Jemma wasn't kidding around, she didn't even let Bobbi speak. Every time she opened her mouth to reply or try to redeem herself, Jemma's glare or words cut her off.

"Whether you like it or not, Skye is just as much my family as you are, it doesn't matter to me if she doesn't have a stupid tail." Jemma snapped, and shot off in the opposite direction, back towards the beach. She would wait there all night if she had to, all week, all month. She wasn't going to leave until she saw Skye and fixed whatever Bobbi had done.

 

_____________

 

Five days had been enough.  Skye was done.  She couldn’t do it anymore…or at least, not right now.  It was dark out but the sky was clear and the moon was close to full so even when she tossed her flashlight over the rocks, Skye had enough to see by to climb over.  She barely made it.  She slid down the first time, unable to keep her grip.  Her body ached, and for good reason.  The wind was chilly and practically constant at night so she was thankful at least that she had dressed somewhat appropriately, even if it wasn’t for the same reason.

By the time she did manage to climb over, she had to slide gently down the other side.  Her hoodie rode up a little bit in the back, causing the rock to scrape her back, which was already in shitty shape after what had happened a little bit ago.  Once down, she picked the flashlight back up, expecting the empty beach she had missed.  Even if Jemma wasn’t here she just needed to get away for a while; however, when she pointed the light towards the shore she saw all the little towers and the sea glass.

The sight of it made her want to cry and she was already so tired and so fed up with this that she did.  She dropped to her knees in the sand and started to cry, which hurt some because her cheek was swollen and bruised.  Her lip was busted and she had a cut above one of her eyebrows, and that was just her face.  The rest of her body hurt but nothing hurt worse than knowing that Jemma had been coming anyway and still building her little signal towers and dropping off the smooth colorful stones for Skye.

She couldn’t handle it.  She couldn’t handle this day.  She wanted someone to be concerned for her.  She wanted someone to hold her.  She wanted her best friend back.

Jemma had been skulking behind the same boulder out in the water as always, willing to wait there forever, and she had been there for hours, but she hadn't expected anything so soon. She was startled when she heard a strange noise, but also confused. It sounded like Skye, but it didn't.

Jemma poked her head around the edge, just to be safe, and she could see the lone figure up on the sand. The darkness made it hard to see, but the moonlight was bright enough for Jemma to recognize her, unfortunately not bright enough for her to notice that something was wrong from so far away.

"Skye?" She called out in disbelief and excitement, swimming up to shore and pulling herself onto the sand. Skye was too far away still, too far inland, but Jemma could tell now that something was horribly wrong.

"Skye?" She asked again, still trying to pull herself a little further. Her voice cracked and Jemma could see how beat up Skye looked from here. It made her furious with whoever had done this-she already had an idea- but first and foremost she cared about Skye's wellbeing.

"Skye, come here." She begged.

The crying stopped just long enough to listen, before it started up again, almost harder than before.  Of course Jemma was still here. She had probably been here all day, staying out longer and longer because Skye hadn't been coming.  She was still putting herself in danger, even more so the longer she stayed and Skye immediately felt guilty both for having left and for having shown up again.

The second time Jemma said her name, she could hear she knew something was wrong.  A shaky hand grabbed for the flashlight and turned it off, shoving it into the big pocket on her hoodie.  When Jemma called again, she couldn't resist anymore, and she made her sore body get up off the sand, willing her legs to run the few feet down to the water before she collapsed down again next to Jemma.

She was still crying when she didn't hesitate to throw her arms around the mermaid.  Skye didn't care if she was soaking wet.  She had never hugged the mermaid before, but she did now and she did it tightly, her shoulders jerking with her sobs.  How could she be so relieved and happy and so upset and guilty all at once?  Skye wasn't sure, but she tried to focus more on the better pair of emotions.  She was trying to talk, but her throat was too sore to work properly and she was having trouble getting anything past the occasional heave.  Only one sentence made it out over and over again, "I'm sorry."

Jemma tried to take deep breaths to stay calm as she held Skye gently, arms wrapped around her waist and barely applying any pressure at all for fear that she would hurt her. Skye was apologizing, but for what she didn't know. Clearly something terrible had happened to her, how could Jemma be mad at at her for not showing up?

"It's all right, everything is going to be okay." Jemma comforted her and let Skye cling to her as long as she wanted, anything to make her feel better. Eventually the strange, unfamiliar, upset noises came to an end and Jemma simply held her there on the beach, quietly doing her best to make Skye feel better.

Finally, when they did part, Jemma noticed something very strange. Besides the injuries that already made Jemma worried and concerned enough, there were trails down her cheeks and small drops of water were rolling down them.

"Your eyes are leaking." She said in confusion and deep concern. Was Skye sick, too? What was going on? Jemma wiped away the water on Skye's face with her thumb and tried to avoid the places Skye was hurt.

Skye's face broke in a small smile, even though it hurt and she laughed lightly as Jemma wiped the tears away.  Her voice was still strained but she nodded softly, "Yes...my eyes are leaking..." She smiled at how silly it sounded but she remembered that Jemma had never seen her do this before, and she doubted mermaids cried...at least not underwater.

"Th-they're called tears," she explained once she managed to swallow a couple of times and get her voice back to normal and her throat less dry.  "People make tears when they are very sad...sometimes when they are very happy too, or very mad.  It's called crying.  People cry when they feel an emotion v-very strongly..." She tried to explain, "I'm not sick...I'm not dying, although it feels like it..." She mumbled the last part but shook it off and just leaned into Jemma.

"Why are you sad, Skye? What happened, why are you hurt?" Jemma didn't mean to pry or rush her, but it was important and she didn't want to dance around the subject. She was relieved Skye didn't have some disease that would kill her, but she still had all those injuries.

Jemma let Skye lean into her, and she returned it, even pulled her into another small hug. It wasn't as desperate as before, but it was still comforting, and Jemma let her hand rest against the back of Skye's neck and her fingers ran through her tangled, messy hair.

"I'm sure you can guess," Skye laughed again this time, but it was bitter, closer to a scoff.  Without Jemma around, the last five days had gotten progressively worse, spending them with Ward and his friends again like she had in highschool.  It was awful, and she had realized this.

"W-Ward thinks something is up...h-he wouldn't leave me alone about coming here every day and wh-when I wouldn't tell him he got mad..." One of Skye's eyebrows rose and fell.  She should have expected it honestly.  
            "I remembered that...that you said we shouldn't be friends...so I told him that.  He uhm..." She cleared her throat, "he uhm...took th-that even less well...as you can see.". Skye used her free hand that wasn't holding onto Jemma to gesture to herself, " Exhibit A present..."  
            No, he hadn't been too happy at all.  He had hit her first when she wouldn't tell him what was going on with her, because it was none of his business.  The rest had followed when she had told him to buzz off, that she wasn't going to hang out with him anymore and that she could find nicer friends than him.  She didn't have to stay and let him always beat her up.  Apparently she had been wrong because she almost had been too afraid to get up when he was done.    
            She had run only after she knew Ward had left, and she had come straight here.  She couldn't go home, not looking like this mess.  Her mom would panic and yell and that wasn't the sort of thing Skye wanted to listen to right now.

"And I'm sad because...because I thought--I expected you not to be here.  I thought you would stop showing up if I did...I'm sad because I missed you and I probably upset you.  Obviously you've been coming here every day anyway," Skye nodded towards all the rocks that littered the shore, "Bobbi said you could get into a lot of trouble...I didn't want to be the reason you got in trouble..."

Jemma sighed and held Skye closer, wishing she never had to let go. She even let her tail wrap around the both of them slightly, just for even more assurance.   
            "I missed you too." Jemma whispered into her best friend's hair, but she was still scared that Skye might not come back and she didn't think she could handle that. The last five days had probably been the worst of her life, even worse than when she'd been stung by that jellyfish.   
            "Well, you don't have to 'hang out' with Ward anymore." Jemma was trying to give Skye the positives. "And I'll always be here." She assured her. It was true. If Jemma could help it, she would always be here when Skye needed her.  
            "Don't listen to Bobbi, okay?" Jemma felt like she needed to add this too, if Bobbi had been the reason Skye hadn't been coming. She was probably going to give Bobbi the cold shoulder to show her what it feels like to not be able to talk to someone you care about. It was bitter, but Bobbi deserved it. "I can't deny that there are risks, but it's worth it to me if it is to you. I care about you a lot, Skye. I don't think I could just stop seeing you." Jemma squeezed her friend lightly to emphasize her point and hoped Skye felt the same way.

"Me either..." Skye breathed lightly.  The last five days had been terrible for her as well and she was in like mind.  She didn't think she could handle another five days like that.  
Jemma really cared about her, that much was obvious, and she had just said so and it meant a lot to Skye to know that.  She really cared about Jemma as well, although she thought her way might be a little different.  She couldn't be sure.  How would the mermaid react if she said that she liked her, and not in the way she thought?  
            The things Bobbi had said about tail touching lingered in her head and Skye wondered if Jemma meant those things by letting her touch her tail, but she was too tired to inquire about it now so she settled for an, "I care for you too."  
            She reached one hand out and gently set it on Jemma's tail, rubbing small circles because she knew Jemma liked it and hopefully it would make the both of them feel better.  "Just be careful...I mean I know you are careful but...be really careful...I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Nothing is going to happen to me." Jemma promised. She was quite confident that nothing was going to happen, even if Ward was being nosy. Skye could just avoid him, and Bobbi certainly wouldn't rat her out. For the whole month Jemma had been coming here, she'd never once seen another human other than Skye, so it was highly unlikely that people would start coming.

"You'd better be right," Skye mumbled and stayed snugly rested in against Jemma.  Just having her hold her made Skye feel infinitely better even though she knew these bruises were going to last a while.  She was glad that Jemma had only seen the ones on her face, and not everywhere else too.  

As she nestled in, Skye realized she had almost forgot.  She had been leaving campus when Ward first had confronted her and tried to get her to go with him to do something again.  She had been leaving the art building, the newly laminated and developed pictures Jemma had taken in her bag.

"Today wasn't all bad.  I forgot, look what I pulled out of the photo lab today," Skye shifted just a little so that she could pull the series of pictures out of her satchel.  It was dark, so Jemma wouldn't be able to see them well, so Skye took out her flashlight and held it up so they could look at them together.  

Skye had already looked at them...cried over them, actually, but now that everything was going to be back to normal, or as normal as a mermaid and a human could get, Skye wanted to look at them with Jemma.

"You took some really great ones, Jems.  You're a natural.  I loved the ship! "

Jemma grinned as Skye flipped through the pictures, proud that she'd managed to take so many clear shots of the interesting things she'd wanted to show Skye and still quite amazed that it was even possible. Skye seemed so interested in them, and Jemma was happy to be able to share a piece of her life.

"You keep them." Jemma told her, only pulling away one from the back of the stack. It was the one she'd taken of Skye, sitting on the beach, smile radiating throughout the whole picture. "This is the only one I need." She smiled and carefully tucked the picture into her pouch to take back to the caves with her. Now she'd be able to have that little image of Skye whenever she felt lonely at night or wanted to see her but couldn't.

“Thanks, Jems…I bet I can use them for practice and decorations in my room,” The brunette smiled and stuffed the pictures back into her bag, “The one of the reef I think will be good detail practice.  I’ll have to show you if I ever do it so you can compare…”

Skye knew it was getting late, and Jemma really shouldn’t be out this late anyway.  She wasn’t sure how unsafe it was at night in the ocean but since Jemma was always gone well before dark she figured keeping her any later wouldn’t be very good.  She probably needed to get home herself.  Her mother would already be in bed and she had a shift at the diner in the morning so Skye could easily avoid her then too.  She wanted to put off that discussion as long as possible.

“I…don’t really want you to leave…but shouldn’t you be going back to your pod?  I don’t want to keep you out any later if it’s dangerous for you,” Skye started shifting away from the mermaid a little in the hopes to also spur herself to go home.  She just wished there was a way to go with Jemma…or to take Jemma with her, so that she wouldn’t have to be alone all night.  She didn’t really want to be.

Jemma sighed, knowing Skye was right. She shouldn't have come out here and stayed this late in the first place, but she'd had to see Skye. It was definitely worth it now, Jemma didn't want to think about Skye sitting here crying all by herself if she'd hadn't waited.

"That's probably best." Jemma nodded. The hand that had previously been wrapped around Skye and in her hair trailed downwards, playing with the necklace Jemma had made her for a few seconds before finally drawing away. "You'll come back tomorrow, right?" She asked, just to be sure.

Skye felt guilty that Jemma even had to ask, but she was the one who had disappeared for five whole days, leaving the mermaid to sit and wait at the shore by herself.  She wasn’t going to ever have to make her do that again.  If Jemma wanted to keep coming to see her, then Skye was going to keep showing up.

She waited for Jemma’s hands to leave her before she stood up and brushed the sand off of her clothes, turning back around to face the mermaid with a grin, “When the sun is high,” she answered, using her free hand that didn’t hold the flashlight to point up towards the sky like Jemma always did.  It was her turn to use their little joke, and although she was sad that Jemma had needed to ask to be sure if she was coming, she was happy for the chance to be the one to say it for a change.

Jemma laughed, feeling silly now that she'd even asked. Whatever had been weird before was over, of course Skye was coming back. It was funny to her to see Skye talk like she did, and she finally realized why Skye sometimes laughed when she used terminology she had taught her. Once Skye was up on her feet, Jemma finally pushed back into the water and disappeared, but not before calling out "when the sun is high" in her own language.

 


	7. Ship to Wreck

 

Jemma had a brilliant idea. It came to her two weeks after those dreadful five days that Skye hadn't come, and when she first thought of it, she swore her heart skipped a beat with excitement. She knew Skye was afraid of water and couldn't swim, but there was a possibility that Jemma would be able to go with her to see land, at least for a little while.

It was incredibly risky and stupid, but Jemma thought it was worth it. Bobbi was still acting annoyed because she knew the truth and the fact that Jemma was still seeing Skye, but Jemma ignored it. She ignored Bobbi most of the time now, only talking to her when it was necessary. It would probably be a long while before she forgave her sister for causing a mess when she and Skye had a working system.  So far Bobbi hadn't told anyone, but she wasn't going to risk her finding out about what she wanted to do.

It was for this reason that Jemma waited until everyone was asleep before slipping quietly into the water and gliding through the narrow passageways to the shaman's cave. Every pod had a shaman with at least some amount of magical ability, and if Jemma had been born with the gift she definitely would have apprenticed for the job. Usually they weren't needed, but healing potions and other things were often useful. They would be especially useful for Jemma the next day with Skye.

Thankfully, the room that housed all the potions was empty, as it was not a sleeping area, and Jemma hoisted herself up onto the stone shelf. The fluids were mostly contained in little glass containers salvaged from sunken ships, and it was hard to tell them apart without a written language to label with, but there was still a system. The things that were used the most were kept the closest to the middle of the room, easily accessible, and the rarer concoctions were set near the back. Jemma reached all the way across to the wall, grabbing the very furthest one.

No one ever used this potion, not ever. It was only in case of emergencies where a mermaid needed to go on land, but that hadn't happened in generations. Still, the pod always kept a few vials stored just in case, and Jemma would make good use of them now. She grabbed two, not sure how long they each lasted, slipped them into her pouch, and hurried off to meet with Skye when the sun rose, as she had specially asked. If she was going to go on land, she wanted to utilize the whole day.

 

___________

 

            Skye wasn’t sure why Jemma had asked her to come so early.  Maybe it was because she really missed Skye for some reason and wanted more time with her today or maybe she had to leave earlier today than every other day, she didn’t know.  Skye wasn’t opposed.  She woke up in time like she did every day, to take her morning jog down to the pier and back to her house, except this time, she went past her house and ran right to the beach access point.

Having brought all of her things with her in a larger bag than normal, Skye didn’t need to go back to her house.  She had brought breakfast and a fresh change of clothes, since she didn’t think Jemma would appreciate if she smelled all sweaty.  She had caught the girl more than once leaning close to smell her while playing with her hair.  Skye did the same thing, so she thought it would be best if she smelled at least a little nice.

It was harder to run on sand, so she took the last few minutes at a walk.  The back of her shirt and the front neckline were wet and she was glad that she could get the clothes off soon.  Maybe if she was there before Jemma, she could change really fast.  She wasn’t sure how the mermaid might react if she had to do it in front of her.  She was sure Jemma would look away if she asked, but Skye also wasn’t sure if she wanted her to.

Her muscles still ached some, both from the running and the fading bruises that Ward had given her, but she took the rock with a bound, and landed down on the other side, grabbing her backpack up off the ground.

Jemma was already waiting on the beach, not even behind her usual hiding rock, sitting just far enough into the ocean for the waves to roll across her waist. When she finally caught sight of Skye, her heart constricted in a good way, with excitement.

"Skye! I have the most amazing thing, better than anything I've ever brought you or anything you've ever brought me." Jemma was speaking quickly, and she knew this, but she couldn't slow down. She was so eager. "Today is going to be so much better than any day we've ever spent with each other." She grinned, waiting for Skye to ask just what had her so worked up.

            Skye laughed and hurried down to the beach, putting some of her sweaty hair behind her ear that had fallen out of the short ponytail, setting her bag down just out of reach of the tide, “Oh yeah? I find that hard to believe.  I think the things we have already brought each other are pretty awesome.  I’m not sure anything beats my necklace,” She stated, almost like a challenge, which she figured Jemma would enjoy since she definitely seemed to be worked up over something.  Skye had on her necklace of course, she never took it off…ever.

“What is it then that you have to show me that has brought me here at…” Skye looked down at her watch, “nine twenty-seven am?”

Excitement bubbled up in Jemma's chest and she had to bite her lip to keep her smile from growing too wide. She was absolutely certain this would beat Skye's necklace, but she wasn't going to tell her that or it would ruin the surprise.

"Try not to freak out, okay?" Jemma said with a knowing smile, remembering how Skye reacted when they first met and Skye realized she was a mermaid. Now she would be just as shocked to find out that she wasn't, at least not for today.

Slowly, Jemma placed her hands on the ground and used them to help push her into a standing position. Her new legs were wobbly and she was struggling to get up, she'd already tried a few times before Skye had showed up and this was her first successful attempt. Even once she got to her feet her knees were shaky and she struggled to hold her weight upright like this.

After all the focus it had taken to stand up, Jemma smiled shyly and finally glanced up at Skye to see her reaction, what she thought about this recent development.  

“Yeah yeah I’m not going to freak out.  You’re a mermaid, I’m pretty prepared for anything at this point.  You’re going to be hard pressed to freak me out,” Skye said, reaching into her bag for the apple she brought for breakfast.  She already had a bite in her mouth before she looked up and quite suddenly, she almost choked on it.

The world she had grown accustomed to, the one where mermaids apparently existed, got stuck into a washing machine on spin cycle because now, for some reason, Jemma was there…standing up…with legs and not a tail.  With legs.  Skye repeated it to herself again.  With legs.

The artist was so fixated on the wobbly pale limbs that she forgot to look at the whole picture, and when she did, “Oh…my… _go_ -“, this time she did choke on the apple.  The half-eaten apple rolled out of Skye’s hand and into the sand and she strained to breathe for a second before she managed to cough it up, doubling over and putting her hands on her knees to brace herself.

When the coughing had mostly subsided she looked up again, just to be sure, and then quickly looked back down at the sand, “Jem,” She coughed and started waving her hand, trying to motion for the girl to get back down into the water.  “ _Jemma! You. Are-_ “ a couple more coughs, followed by a very loud, very shrill, “ _NAKED_!”

Her face was on fire and when at last she did stop coughing she quickly turned around, trying to scramble for her bag without seeing the mermaid, now human, Jemma’s _entire_ everything.  She found her spare clothes she was going to put on and ripped them out of the bag as fast as she could.  Shielding her eyes with one hand, Skye walked to the water, thrusting the clothes out with her other hand towards the naked girl, “Legs are _fantastic,_ Jemma, I promise.  Like I can’t _even_ , bu-but you n-need _clothes_.  You can’t…can’t just…” She couldn’t form a proper sentence and Jemma probably didn’t understand why but Skye was fairly certain by now her blush wasn’t just on her face, it was everywhere.  She felt like she was on fire, like someone was using a magnifying glass to start a fire on her like a child would with an ant hill.

“Y-you need to not be _naked_.”  

Jemma's face was burning as well, but she wasn't exactly sure why. Apparently she'd just done something that was strange for people, but she didn't really realize what- _oh._ She knew Skye always wore clothes, even mermaids used a type of bra, but she hadn't thought about the other things that having legs brought,  since she wasn't used to it with her tail.

Jemma was pretty sure she could die from embarrassment, but it didn't get any better when she reached out for the clothes Skye was offering her and her very different new limbs didn't hold her up very well. She landed with a half splash in only a few inches of water and did her best to maneuver Skye's clothes onto her own legs and body, struggling to make it work while sitting down. She even felt unbalanced then, her tail was much heavier than legs and she felt like she was about to topple over at any second.

When Jemma finally finished, she was a mess, the clothes she had managed to get on were soaking wet and she felt very strange, though she was still excited.

"Okay, I think I got it." Jemma laughed when she saw Skye still holding her hand over her face, and she was glad the awkward moment was over. "Now would you please give me a hand? I don't know how to work these things." She requested, still putting her weight on her arms while she sat in the shallow water.

Skye didn’t look, instead, she took a quick peek through her fingers and sighed heavily upon finding that Jemma had, indeed, managed to put her spare clothes on.  “You are _so_ lucky I brought these,” Skye shook her head, her face still red, but she removed her hand away and quickly went to the water.

She grabbed Jemma’s arms gently and hoisted her up onto her legs.  Skye had to admit, she looked really cute in human clothes, especially her own clothes, even if Jemma looked like she had just run a marathon in the pouring rain.

“I have to say…th-this does beat everything else,” The artist finally breathed, taking a step back while still holding onto her best friend.  She took a good look at her now that she was clothed and Skye didn’t feel guilty for staring.  It sunk in, finally, that Jemma really did have legs and now that she wasn’t distracted, Skye couldn’t believe it.

“Wait, how do you even…?  Where did these even come from?!  You’re a mermaid, you don’t have _legs_ ,” She emphasized the last word, careful to walk Jemma slowly up onto the sand and then help her sit down.  Skye needed to sit down too.  It was only nine thirty in the morning and she needed to take a rest already.  Today was going to be too much, and the best day of her life all at once…or so she assumed.  The possibilities had suddenly opened up and expanded exponentially.  She could take Jemma wherever she wanted…all over the island.

“H-How long do these last?!”

"I, uhm, I'm not sure, but I have one more." Jemma informed her, pulling a small vial out of her pouch and holding it up for a moment before stashing it away again for safekeeping. "Probably a few hours, I don't know." She shook her head, but even the fact that her legs were only temporary couldn't keep her down.

"And mermaids exist, so would you really have such a hard time believing in magic?" Jemma joked, curling and uncurling her toes as she did. It was strange, but also exciting. While they were sitting she tried to get a hang of controlling the bending of her knees, and eventually she found those were sort of like moving her tail, but only if she did them both at once. She didn't know how her brain was going to even make both of them work together at the same time, she was only accustomed to having one limb on her lower body.

"But I want to see everything we have time for, where should we go? What should we do?" Jemma got immediately to the point, wanting to see exactly what kind of life Skye lived.

Skye laughed at how eager and excited she was.  Skye supposed she would be just as eager and excited if she had been a mermaid who now had legs too, but she was excited, just in a different way.  This was a wonderful surprise and she was going to take advantage of it for as long as it lasted.

“Alright, well, first I’ll need to take you to my house and clean you up.  Those clothes aren’t going to cut it, you’re still soaking wet.  You’ll need dry ones,” The artist gave a soft smile and watched Jemma work and stretch her new legs.  She was only a little sad that her tail was gone.  Skye liked to touch it, and she knew that Jemma liked that, but touching legs wasn’t quite the same, or so she gathered.  Still, they could do other things.  There was a full day of exploring ahead.

“After that…I’m not really sure.  You didn’t exactly give me advance notice to plan ahead for a full day of activities that didn’t involve the beach!”

Jemma had just been nodding along with excitement until the actual meaning of Skye's words sunk in, and her head shot up.

"I get to see where you live?" This was probably going to be the best day ever. All those little things Skye had talked about were all going to be out there, she could see them outside of pictures and she got to experience them herself. Going to Skye's house seemed like it would top all of it, though. Just like she wished she could show Skye the caves, she also wished she could see where Skye spent her time away from her.

“Well yeah,” Skye continued to smile, shaking her head lightly.  Jemma’s world was going to get a whole lot bigger today, she just hoped the mermaid could handle it.  Being human for a day was a big experience and Skye wanted to show her as much as she could, but also make sure that whatever she was showing her was worth while.  She would have to show her the important things…maybe the pier and the diner where she worked.  Her house of course, maybe the art studio on campus.  The island didn’t have a lot, but it was where Skye had grown up and always lived so she was sure that whatever she showed Jemma, Jemma would love it.

“Assuming, of course, that we can get you up and moving. How do you feel?  It’s a little ways to walk to my house…you should get plenty of practice before I have to let you mingle with the public.”

"I feel fantastic." Jemma exclaimed, already eager to make another attempt at getting up. It was still awkward and took a lot of effort, but she managed to get herself to her feet in less time than before, and she even managed to take two steps before she stumbled and fell back onto all fours in the sand.

"Well, I will feel fantastic once I figure this out." She laughed, getting up again and holding her arms out to the sides slightly while she took a few more steps, a little steadier than last time. She was learning quickly and she was starting to get a good grasp on it. Only one leg moved at a time while she walked, but she knew she would get the action down pat with a little more practice. Slow and steady. She was ready for whatever Skye's world had to offer, and she couldn't wait another second to get out and see it.

"Aren't you coming?" Jemma turned her head and asked, though the action almost threw her off balance and she had to stop. She probably looked strange, but Jemma was still smiling like an idiot and so proud that she was actually walking.

Nodding with a big smile on her face as well, Skye followed after Jemma, lightly directing her up the beach till they approached the rock wall.

“You better have the hang of them, because we have to climb over,” She chuckled a little, just trying to think about the sight that was to come.  If Jemma was this wobbly just on sand, she wasn’t exactly sure how she was supposed to get her up and over such a high rock.  She might hurt herself.

“Here, I’m going to climb up, and then I’ll pull you up, alright?” Skye questioned, receiving a little nod before she told Jemma to brace herself against the rocks so she wouldn’t fall.

Skye scrambled up and once on top, turned around and bent over, holding her hand out for Jemma to take it, “You’re going to have to push off with your legs and pull with your other arm.  I’ll pull you too so hopefully it won’t be too hard.”

Jemma took a deep breath and looked up at Skye on top the rocks. Walking on the sand had been a challenge, so this would be like running a marathon. Still, she reached up and took a firm hold on Skye's hand, bending her knees and pushing up to jump like Skye had instructed her. She didn't get very high, but Skye managed to help pull her up, though Jemma was pleasantly surprised to find that she'd done most of it herself. Her free arm had done most of the work, and she was strong from having to move herself around with her arms on the beach and in the caves. Her tail was heavier than her flimsy legs, so it was easy to pull herself up to the top of the rock.

"See, that wasn't too hard, I'm sure I'll be just-" Jemma had spoken too soon, because as soon as she'd tried to stand up again the uneven surface of the rock was too much and she lost her balance, falling forwards. Skye had the misfortune to have been right in front of her, and they both slipped off the rock and tumbled into the sand, thankfully on the other side.

"Fine." Jemma finished, almost whispering once she'd realized that she was basically laying on top of her friend, staring into her eyes, their faces only a few inches apart.

Skye had landed on her back in the sand with a hard thud and a hiss followed by a sudden exhale of ‘oh god’ as Jemma’s body landed on top of her.  She wanted to laugh, because of course Jemma would slip on top of the rock and send them both toppling to the ground, but the fall had hurt her still somewhat bruised muscles.  When Ward hit, he did not hit lightly.  She was about to groan in fact, when she opened her eyes and was suddenly struck silent.

Skye knew that she liked Jemma, probably more than just a best friend, in fact, she was certain of it.  She just wasn’t sure how to bring up the topic, or if that was something Jemma even wanted.  She didn’t know how mermaids worked that thing out, other than by being able to touch one another’s tails…but Skye didn’t exactly have a tail, so the lines were blurry and all mixed up.  If she leaned up, just a little bit…their noses could touch.  If she leaned up a little more…

The red shade returned to her face as she stared wide eyed up at Jemma, trying to compose herself and clear her thoughts so that she could act to do something other than kiss her senseless…which she was about four hundred percent certain Jemma would not understand.

“Well…th-that was a good trial run…” She breathed, patiently waiting for Jemma to get off so that she could move, “You’ll get the hang of it yet.”

"I am _so_ sorry," Jemma scrambled off of her, hoping she hadn't hurt Skye too badly. She knew she still wasn't completely healed, and she felt horrible for possibly making it any worse.

"That was an accident." Jemma said nervously, pushing herself back onto her feet. She was starting to get more solid, but she still wasn't sure footed.

“It’s alright...accidents happen.  You’ll get better with them, I promise,” Skye smiled weakly before Jemma finally got off and she sat up, taking in a breath to calm her nerves and give her back a moment to adjust.  “You’ll be an expert by the time we get back,” She smiled assuringly at Jemma now before getting up herself and brushing herself off again.

“Let’s get going.  The more you use your legs the better you’ll get, and it’s a long walk home.”

Skye helped her all the way, since she still seemed to be stumbling some at first, but by the time they reached the access point Skye could tell Jemma was a lot better, and she told her so.  It was good to give her lots of encouragement.

Jemma was used to seeing the beach and sand, but as they crossed over the walkway, they came to the sidewalk and one of the main streets, with multicolored houses lined up all along the other side.  Cars were driving by and a couple rode along past them on their bicycles.  An elderly woman across the street was walking her dog.  Everything that was normal to Skye was completely new to Jemma and the artist couldn’t take her eyes off the girl as she got her first look at what Skye’s life was like beyond the beach.

Jemma had been talking to Skye for a while now, and her friend had explained all kinds of things and showed her hundreds of pictures, but it still couldn't have prepared her for this. Skye couldn't have shown her everything ahead of time, of course, only what Jemma had asked about or what came up in conversation. She stared at everything with bewilderment, trying to take it in all at once but not being able to stop her mind from zeroing in on one thing at a time so she wouldn't be overloaded. There were so many new sights and smells and sounds, if Skye hadn't been there, it would have been terrifying.

There were people everywhere, and Jemma still couldn't help but feel a tiny bit of fear around them even though she had legs and blended in well enough. She got over it quickly, though, eager to satisfy her curiosity. One thing in particular caught her attention several meters away. There was a tree in a square of dirt on the other side of the big, flat rock, and Jemma immediately wandered towards it, relatively stable.

An insanely loud screech and a blare suddenly ripped through the air and Jemma threw her hands over her sensitive ears, jumping away in fright when what she could only assume was a large animal came to a halt only a few feet away from her.

“ _Fuck_!” Skye was in the road in the next instant, grabbing a firm hold of the top of Jemma’s arm and waving an apologetic ‘I’m sorry’ to the driver of the car. She pulled the girl to the other side of the road towards whatever it was that had caught her interest.  The car drove by after some yelling, which Skye chose to ignore.

Her heart was pounding and for a moment she thought her head might explode or her chest would crack open.  “Jesus Jemma…you _can’t_ just walk into the road!” Her voice was a little louder than she had meant it to be, but she had been terrified for a second that she had brought Jemma on land to show her the world only to have her get hit by a car.

Once she calmed, she apologized, motioning towards the flat surface of the asphalt and the cars driving by, “That is called a road.  The big things on it are cars.  They drive on the road, so you can’t just walk into it because they can hit you and it will hurt, _a lot_.  You always cross the road when it is clear both ways…and for you, you cross the road with me or you don’t cross at all, alright?” She was still breathing heavily, but her scared grip on Jemma’s arm loosened and she rubbed it lightly before keeping her hands to herself, “Now what were you in such a hurry to get to, huh?”

Jemma couldn't do anything but nod repeatedly as Skye explained, still trying to get over the frightening experience and hoping that Skye wasn't too upset with her. She could understand it, she'd yell at Skye a little bit like that if their situations had been reversed. Once Jemma understood the new and important lesson, she turned her attention back to the large plant.

"So this is a tree?" She asked. It was one of the many vocabulary words she'd picked up, and she'd wanted to see one more than anything. Her fingers scratched at the bark and small pieces of it fell off into her hands, and Jemma turned them over, observing. She had to hop a little bit to reach the leaves, but she managed to snag one eventually, staring at it intently. It was sort of like things that grew underwater, but much different.

Jemma wanted to move on quickly, there was so much more to explore. There was so much she didn't know about in just this one place that Jemma almost gained a new kind of respect for Skye for knowing what all of it was. Just when Jemma was about to move on, she picked up on a squeaking noise and looked up to find a fuzzy creature sitting up on a branch, flicking its tail like Jemma did sometimes.

"What is that?!" She asked with excitement, pointing.

            “Yeah, that’s a tree.  There are two in my backyard, but they are different than this kind.  And that…that’s an animal.  That is a squirrel.  They live in holes in trees or in the ground and they eat nuts.  You remember nuts right? I brought you some one day because I had them as my snack,” Skye smiled and gently tugged at Jemma’s arm.

She really did want the girl to see everything that she wanted to…but she also looked a mess since she was still wet and her hair was going to dry like an even worse mess.  She would need to get cleaned up well before going exploring.  Skye needed a shower too, especially after her run this morning so it would be a good errand.   Jemma would get to learn about some human daily rituals.

“C’mon, you can see more on the way.  My house is just up the hill,” She grabbed Jemma’s hand this time as they walked, to make sure that she didn’t stray too far.  It wasn’t a terribly far walk up the hill.  Skye’s house sat right on top and Skye stopped in front of it, finally letting Jemma go and opened the gate for her so she could go into the front yard.

“And this is my house.  This grassy area is called a yard, and this part of the house,” Skye moved to the small sheltered porch, “Is called a porch.  People sit on it sometimes when the weather is nice…” She took out her key and opened the front door, waiting for Jemma to be ready to come inside. “And this…this is the inside.”

"It looks like a box. A really big box." Jemma laughed as she stepped up onto the porch with minimal struggle, and she felt victorious for such a simple reason.

When she stepped inside, Jemma was amazed. There were pictures everywhere, most of them of Skye and a woman Jemma assumed to be Skye's mother by their resemblance.

Apparently the big box was filled with several other small yet still large boxes, with little entryways between them. It was sort of like the cave system, except much spacier and blockier.

"I like it." Jemma smiled, still looking around at everything in the rooms that she could see.

            “Ha, yes, it is a box.  Most homes tend to be box shaped,” Skye said, setting her keys down on a table by the door before she shut it.  “So where we are right now is the living room.  It’s where people…relax.  Over there,” Skye pointed past Jemma’s head into the adjacent room, “is the kitchen.  That is where we cook and eat our food.”  There were other rooms downstairs, like her mother’s room and the bathroom but Skye didn’t think those were very important.  She moved instead, towards the small wall that separated the kitchen and living room, “These are stairs,” She explained and then motioned for Jemma to follow her up.

She waited patiently, always within arm’s reach in case Jemma decided to fall down them or stumble up.  Either way, Skye was going to make sure that she didn’t hurt herself.  

Once upstairs, there was only one door and Skye opened it.  “I think you’ll like this room the best though,” it was her room and Jemma would be able to tell immediately because drawings and paintings littered the walls and a stack of sea glass rested on her desk and on her nightstand by the bed.  Sketch books were lying everywhere and honestly the room was a mess, clothes and paper strewn all about, but when Skye got Jemma to step fully inside, she shut the door and turned the girl around.

Sketches of her covered the back of Skye’s door and the artist thought that Jemma would appreciate them.  Jemma had not seen all of these.  Many of these pictures Skye had done during their week apart but she was sure Jemma would appreciate them just like she had the others.

“This is my room.  That’s my desk…that’s my Tv—it plays pictures that move and have sound—and that’s’ my bed.  That’s where I sleep.”

This was definitely Jemma's favorite thing so far. The entire room was almost like a reflection of Skye, it was just so _her_ that Jemma felt surrounded and consumed by it. At first she didn't say anything, instead letting her eyes roam over all of the art on the door and the walls, as well as everywhere else. She ran her fingertips over the surface of the sculpture on Skye's nightstand and a few of the sketches of herself.

The room definitely smelled like Skye, exactly matching the scent she picked up on whenever they were close or touching, the one she very much enjoyed. Jemma didn't doubt that Skye had made every decoration in the room, and she thought they were all beautiful.

"Thank you for bringing me here, Skye." Jemma felt so touched, this seemed like more of a personal thing and Jemma was very glad Skye wanted her to see everything. "Everything is so beautiful." She let her previous thought slip as she looked over a painting of the ocean.

            Skye blushed a little.  She had known Jemma would like it but still, she wasn’t used to all the flattery…at least not about her room.  She didn’t bring people here often.  “Now, you can look at everything in a minute, right now we need to get you cleaned up.  You’re getting sand everywhere and you’re still wet and you smell like the ocean.  I don’t mind but…humans don’t really tend to smell like the actual ocean.  You’re going to have to take a shower.  A shower is what humans do to get clean,” Skye clarified and pointed towards another door in her room.

She moved past some of her dirty laundry and opened it up, leading Jemma inside and let her take everything in before she pointed towards the mirror, “This is a mirror.   It shows you what you look like…like a picture, but in real time,” Skye smiled, knowing that the mermaid would probably be very interested in it.  She had only ever seen herself in Skye’s drawings and that one picture of their first meeting together.  A mirror would probably be fun for Jemma.

Jemma frowned when she turned and saw herself, and her eyes widened when she saw the image of her frown as well. It was probably the strangest thing Jemma had ever seen. Every time she moved, the picture of her moved. It looked so real, and Jemma had to reach out to make sure it wasn't. Sure enough, the image of her lifted its arm as well and Jemma slowly touched her finger to the mirror, or what looked like her own finger, and pulled it away quickly after feeling the chill of whatever material it was made out of.

"This is so strange..." Jemma pressed her palm up against it, and even laughed a little bit. Humans had the silliest things.

She could see Skye in it too, and she reached out, but obviously she didn't touch Skye and her own hand got in the way.

Finally, once Jemma was satisfied with knowing what the mirror did, she looked at the rest of the room and wondered what exactly she was supposed to do. She knew she was covered in sand and wouldn't blend in well for a longer period of time without cleaning up, she just didn't know how, so she waited for Skye to explain it to her.

            Amused, Skye watched as Jemma played with the mirror, chuckling at how almost childlike she was being.  Skye kept forgetting that she really didn’t know _anything_ about the world she had stepped into except for what she had already told her…which honestly, compared to all of this, wasn’t a lot.  Once she was done though, Skye could tell she was ready for what was next.

“Alright this is the shower,” Skye motioned towards it and slid the glass door open and pointed to a knob on the wall, “If you turn this,” and she did, “Water comes out.  Like in the ocean, but without salt. And you can adjust the temperature you want it here,” She turned another knob to where Skye knew she liked her shower temperature, but she wasn’t sure what Jemma would like. “Red means hot and blue means cold so you can turn it whichever way till the water feels good to you.  Just don’t turn it all the way red because that will burn,” She warned and let the water run, shutting the glass door.

“First all the clothes have to come off.  You can just lay them in the floor and I’ll get them later.  In the shower, there's a green bottle, it’s called shampoo. You put that in your hair and rub it around till you make bubbles, then you use the water to rinse out the bubbles.  The blue bottle is body wash…so you do the same thing with the blue bottle as you do the green bottle, except you put the stuff in the blue bottle on your body and make bubbles.  Once you’re all rinsed…” Skye moved over to the closet and pulled out a dark blue towel, “You dry off with this and then wrap it around you.  I”ll be picking out clothes for you to wear.  You can leave the bathroom door open in case you have questions.  Got it all?” Skye knew it was a lot all at once, but this was an important step if she was really going to fit in, and she knew Jemma wanted to fit in.

Jemma nodded eagerly, trying to remember everything Skye had just told her. Clothes, right. Once Skye left the little room Jemma stripped off the minimal clothing she'd been wearing before and stepped into the shower, still amazed that it was basically rain on demand. The temperature didn't matter to Jemma, living in the ocean, she tended to be fine with however hot or cold it was that day, so it felt just fine on the setting Skye had turned it to. She wouldn't risk messing with it anyway, she'd probably end up burning herself like Skye said.  
            _Green bottle, the green bottle is first._ When Jemma found it in the corner, it took her a few tries to finally snap the strange container open and squeeze the weirdly slow running liquid into her palm, so much so that it dribbled out and splattered onto the shower floor.   
            "What was that bigger furry animal we saw, not the squirrel?" Jemma asked as she rubbed the stuff into her hair like Skye said, it actually felt really good and she probably continued for longer than she needed to before she rinsed it out. She hadn't really had time to be curious about the animal with the whole road and car thing and then the squirrel.

            “Oh, that was a dog.  People keep them as pets,” Skye shouted back into the bathroom so that Jemma would hear her.  She was in her room, searching through drawers and her closet to try and find Jemma some clothes for when she got out of the shower.  Underwear of course…a bra?  She could probably just wear her normal one under it.  It would be too cruel to make her try on one of these awful human contraptions.  She found some shorts and a plain regular t-shirt.  Nothing too fancy, but when she looked at the outfit she put together, Skye’s chest fluttered.  She couldn’t wait to see her in them.

“I used to have a dog…well, me and my mom, but he got old and we found him on his bed in the living room one day and he just didn’t wake up…we buried him in the back yard.  His name was Trip…Mom named him that because every time she turned around he would be right there at her feet and she would almost trip over him.” Skye chuckled and laid back on her bed to wait.

“How are you doing?  How’s your first ever shower?”

Jemma stashed away the new information as well as Skye's sad little anecdote. She would have said sorry for her, but Skye seemed to think back on it happily instead of sadly, so why taint the memory?  
            "I like it." Jemma called out of the bathroom, rubbing some of the body wash down her arms until it was all bubbly like Skye said. It really was an enjoyable experience, it was like she could just feel the layer of sand, dirt, and salt washing away. She'd never been this clean before.  
            "Do you do this every day?" She asked.  
            “Not everyday…mostly just every other day, unless I go running in the morning or get extra sandy at the beach with you, then I’ll shower every day,” Skye called back, laying back on her bed to wait.  She snagged a smaller sketch book off her nightstand and found a pen and started sketching away while she waited.  She didn’t notice she had started to draw Jemma with legs until she had finished.

She looked like a real person and it had been so easy…but Skye was frowning.  She didn’t like it.   She was very glad that Jemma had found a potion to give her legs so they could spend the day together doing human things but something about her not having a tail just didn’t seem right.  It was too late though and as it was in pen, she couldn’t erase it, so she turned the page and started over.

It didn't take much longer for Jemma to finish. Even though she really enjoyed showering, Skye still needed to and Jemma didn't want to waste her time with legs being in water, that would be pointless. She found the dry towel Skye had pointed out and wrapped it around her body as she exited the bathroom. She smiled at Skye sketching on her bed, because what else would she be doing?

"So now what?" Jemma asked, sitting down next to her, one hand holding up the towel in front of her chest.

“Now I shower and you get dressed,” Skye answered when Jemma sat next to her.  She tore her eyes from the pen and paper to look at the mermaid and she felt that same feeling bubble up from before when Jemma had fallen on her.  Her face gave her away again, turning red in the cheeks first before she quickly looked back down and shut the book, getting off the bed probably a little faster than necessary.

“H-here are your clothes.  This is underwear, it goes on before the pants.  You got the pants right last time and here’s the shirt.  You can just use your bra from before.  The human ones are awful so I’m not going to make you suffer through that…” She stammered and moved into the bathroom, getting herself a towel out.

“Once you’re done you can just… lay down or look around in here.  I’ll leave the door open still if you have more questions or whatever. Don’t leave the room till uhm…till I’m done.  Skye nodded quickly, hoping that Jemma had understood everything before she disappeared to the other side of the bathroom.  She knew that she looked at Jemma every day with less on than a towel, but something about it made Skye feel even more awkward than normal.

She quickly undressed herself, taking off the sweaty workout clothes and jumped in the shower.  She wasn’t really surprised by all the sand that lingered at the bottom.  She hoped it all went down the drain alright, otherwise she was going to have a serious plumbing issue.

Jemma did the final thing Skye asked of her, slipping into the clothes with much more ease than the first time at the beach. She felt clean now and a little strange. She wasn't embarrassed to let her hand slide across her own stomach and waist as she walked around Skye's room. It was weird to have soft skin, not unlike Skye's, instead of the beginnings of her scales.

Her eyes flicked back to the bathroom door that she knew Skye was in. Now was the time to ask a bunch of questions if she wanted, Skye had said it was alright. Jemma reached for the first foreign object, a strange contraption that looked like a small sun, but it was connected to the wall. She brought it as close to the bathroom as possible and poked her head in, forgetting about how humans practiced more personal boundaries than she was used to.

"How does this work?" She asked, staring down at it. It started to make her eyes hurt and when she looked away, a big black spot blocked her vision, just like the sun.

“How does what wor-“ Skye had just rinsed her hair and took a look towards the door since Jemma had asked a question.  She didn’t expect Jemma to just be standing there. Right there.  Thankfully she had hung her towel up on the rack on the outside of the glass door and she quickly positioned herself behind it, face about as red as the apple she tried to eat that morning.

“That’s uhm…that’s a…uhm…” She was having a little trouble, standing awkwardly to make sure that the towel hid most of her behind it.  Finally her brain managed to work properly and she sputtered out ‘lamp’.

“It gives off light so we can see at night.  Like uhm… that flashlight I brought, but brighter.  Electricity is what is making it glow.  I can’t really uhm…I can't explain better than that. _Don’t stare_ at it like that!  You’ll hurt your eyes.  Go, go p-put it down,” Skye asked quickly, finishing her rinse cycle when Jemma finally left the bathroom.

Jemma put the lamp down and stopped staring at it, and thankfully the big black dot went away and her vision cleared up again after a few seconds. It took hardly any time at all before she found something else she was interested in, though.

"What about this?" Jemma stepped into the bathroom again, this time a small cube in her hand that she'd found on the dresser. It looked like it was made of other colorful cubes, but they were all mixed up and out of order.

“ _Jesus Christ_ …” it was a hiss, so Jemma wouldn’t have heard it, but Skye quickly had to duck back behind the towel portion of the shower, which unfortunately left her out of the water and it was very cold in her bathroom, soaking wet, with the door open.

She took one hand and wiped some of the fog away on the glass so she could see and Skye chuckled at what she had brought.  “That’s a Rubik’s Cube…it’s a uhm..a game for your mind and for your hands… you need to get all the colors that match onto one side together…so…all six colors need to be solid, one on each side.  I can only ever get one side done. I’m uhm…not very good. You can go play with it on the bed, see how it works? I’m almost done!”

Jemma nodded, already focussed on the plastic cube once Skye explained that it was a puzzle. She twisted it around a few times in her hands before she understood the movement and sat down on the bed, trying to get all the colors to the same sides like Skye said. It wasn't very difficult for her, and when she finished with it she stood up and moved back to the bathroom to show Skye.

Skye had been right about almost being finished, she'd stepped out of the shower right as Jemma had stepped into the bathroom. She hadn't even had time to put on her towel and Jemma's cheeks burned because of it, and because of the fact that she had to force herself to look away, almost crashing into the doorframe in her awkward struggle to go back into the bedroom.

"Sorry," she muttered a few times, not being able to get over her embarrassment.

This time Skye just stood there in silence.  Her own cheeks were burning and she had almost been apt to black out when Jemma walked in, but when she heard the soft "sorry" it brought her back.  She quickly grabbed the towel and wrapped it around her, not bothering to really dry off before leaned against the wall and sighed, shutting her eyes.

Her heart was in overtime and it needed to calm down before she could even start to think about forming a sentence.  She supposed they were even now though.  She supposed she had to admit it was sort of funny...but this was getting stressful and the more little things like this built up, Skye was going to explode.  

"It's fine, Jems...g-guess we are even now..." Skye breathed lightly, loud enough for Jemma to hear in the other room without having to actually yell. She even tried to chuckle to be reassuring but it didn't come out exactly right and so she gave up.  

After drying herself off, Skye wrapped the towel around her again and tried her best to mentally prepare herself to leave the bathroom.  It wasn't easy, but she stepped out and put on a smile.  When she finally got a good look at Jemma in her clothes, that feeling bubbled up in her chest again and she had to cough to get herself to stop it.  "Y-you uhmm...you look...y-you look nice," she complimented and then quickly averted her eyes again, landing on the Rubik's cube.  Finally, a distraction.

"Wow, you solved it?!  How did you do that?!"

It was a little hard for Jemma to get past the fact that she'd just seen Skye naked-and the fact that she may have liked it, at least a little bit- but she did her best to get the image out of her head once Skye came out in the towel. She complimented her and Jemma was even more embarrassed, so she was thankful for the change of subject.

"Oh, I don't really know. It just made sense." Jemma said. It was hard to explain, but when she looked at the cube she'd known exactly which way she'd need to turn it five turns ahead of where she was, like she had been able to solve the whole puzzle in her head ahead of time. "It was just a bunch of patterns." She settled on these words, she didn't know how to explain it further.

"So now what do we do?" Jemma asked. Obviously Skye still needed to get dressed, but she meant after that.

Skye had messed with that stupid thing for hours on end trying to figure it out and Jemma, having never seen one before in her life, sat down and solved it in less than five minutes.  She was amazed, truly, and Jemma just sort of seemed to shrug it off.  Skye was starting to form an idea of things she could bring to Jemma now instead of just pictures and books.  Puzzles.  Skye was going to see how Jemma liked puzzles.

"Well...I gotta get uh...get dressed but then we can do whatever you want.  We can just walk around and you can see what you see, we could go to the pier if you want.  I can show you where I go to school or the diner...I can show you whatever you want," Skye did smile then, because Jemma looked so excited.  She had already seen a lot, but it was just barely eleven now.  It would be lunch soon so maybe Skye should show her good places to eat too while they were here.  

"Now close your eyes and I'll get ready really fast," Skye was over at her closet, having pulled some clothes out.  Once she saw Jemma shut her eyes and turned her head, she let the towel drop and she started getting ready.

 

________

 

So far this had been the best day of Jemma's life, by far. She'd always wanted to see human things, and now she was getting to see all of it, Skye being a huge bonus.

They'd started out just walking around and Skye let Jemma look at whatever she wanted and ask as many questions as she pleased, all of which Skye answered to her best ability. Skye had eventually taken her to her school campus to look around, and then to a diner for lunch after that. Some of the food made Jemma feel a little sick, being used to mostly raw seafood, but it was still worth it just to try it.

She'd had to discreetly swallow down the second of the two potions she'd stolen in the diner when her legs began to tingle, they couldn't let her turn back into a fish in the middle of the island with people everywhere.

Soon the both of them were back out on the streets of town, and Skye was letting Jemma pick where she wanted to go next. Skye had been keeping her close, rarely letting go of her hand, which Jemma thought was both cute and comforting, since being in a new place like this had been causing a significant amount of stress.

There were so many new things, and even though Jemma wasn't so worried about anyone figuring out what she was, she still pressed herself against Skye's side whenever they passed a person on the sidewalk.

They were closer to the beach now, Jemma could see the ocean clearly from where they were walking. A large wooden structure caught her attention. It was high above the water and stuck out into the ocean from land. Jemma had always wanted to know what it was when she'd seen it below from the water, so now was her chance.

"Can we go there?" Jemma asked, pointing to all the colorful lights and strange, unrecognizable things there.

"The pier?  Absolutely," Skye smiled and nodded, leading Jemma down the sidewalk towards the carnival rides there, which she was sure looked very strange to Jemma.  The arcade was here, where she had gone with Ward so many weeks before and she remembered now how silly she had thought Jemma would look trying to play a game in there.  Now she could try it.

They had had a wonderful day so far, one of the best that Skye had ever had, and from the look on Jemma's face, she thought so too.  Skye hoped she would like the pier too, since rides and fair food and attractions were pretty much the staple of enjoyment for any human.

She walked her up to the doors of the Arcade and let her look inside at all the flashing lights.  The sound was loud through the door and she hoped Jemma was more curious than scared, "C'mon, I want you to try something!" She led the mermaid in by the hand, bringing her inside and letting her adjust before she lightly tugged her over to one of the older games that read "PacMan" on the side.

"This is a video game.  Remember me explaining the TV in the diner?  This is sort of like that, except you do it yourself," Skye tried to explain and popped in a quarter and did a round so that Jemma could see how it worked.  "Now it's your turn...put the quarter in and get ready," she handed Jemma the coin and showed her where to put it again and stood behind her, putting her left hand on the joystick and her right on the buttons.

"This is fun." Jemma laughed as she moved the little yellow creature around on the screen, though she ran into one of the colorful ghosts just after. She wasn't very good, but then again this was her first time playing a videogame of any kind, so how good would she really be?

Skye handed her another quarter and Jemma restarted the game. She actually made it past the first level that time, and Jemma liked how worked up Skye got. At one point she had gotten so close to dying and Skye had practically been having an anxiety attack. She cheered whenever Jemma passed a level and she could tell how proud she was, and even if it was such a simple thing, Jemma enjoyed Skye sharing stuff like this with her.

They migrated around to other games, most of which Jemma lost, until Skye ran out of change, and then they wandered out of the arcade. Jemma had been having fun, but it was honestly a bit of relief to get away from the blaringly loud music and back to the rest of the pier, where at least the sound didn't bounce right back off walls and into her sensitive ears.

"So what else is there to do here?" Jemma asked, looking around. She didn't know what any of it was, so she was relying on Skye to pick something interesting.

“Well, there are all the carnival rides, or there are games.  I have a few dollars left, we could play more games and you could win a prize or something.  Or I could go buy tickets and we could go ride the rides,” Skye nodded down the pier towards more flashing lights and where more people were gathering and walking in.

“I think you’ll like some of them, c’mon,” Skye grinned and took up Jemma’s hand again and led her down the pier towards the little theme park, “What about if we ride the ferris wheel?!” Skye said, suddenly excited and pointed towards the large towering wheel above the rest of the pier.

Jemma was excited to see what they were doing next, at least until she looked up and saw just what Skye was talking about. It was running now, and Jemma couldn't even imagine herself going on something like that.

"It's so... tall. Is it safe?" Jemma sounded so unsure. She was curious to see what everything looked like from up there, but she didn't want to risk her life for it. The strange contraption didn't exactly look safe, at least not to Jemma, who had never seen anything like it in her life.

Skye chuckled at how hesitant Jemma looked now, after being so curious and go go go all day, “Yes, I promise it’s safe.  You’ll love the view, it’s incredible,” the artist grinned and quickly pulled Jemma through the crowd and to the ticket stand.  She forked over twenty bucks and got two ticket booklets and handed one to Jemma.

“Hold onto those,” Skye grinned and then didn’t wait a second more and dragged Jemma off towards the tall ride and once they arrived in line Skye let go of her hand.   “It’s like…when you’re in the ocean I think, really close to the surface and then look down on the floor or a reef…like that one picture of the coral reef you took!” Skye reminded Jemma and reached into her bag and pulled out the picture, because she always kept them on her now.  “It’s like you’re looking down on everything, and it looks like we’re going to catch it just as the sun goes down.  You’ll really love it.  You can hold onto me if you get scared,” Skye smiled and put the picture away.

"If you say so." Jemma said, still hesitant to get on the ride, but very willing if Skye was so sure everything would be fine. She was the expert, and she'd probably done it a million times.

The line wasn't very long, Skye had explained that it was a Monday, so most kids, teenagers, and parents were either at work or school, so there weren't as many people. It only took them a few minutes to get to the front, and Jemma spent them holding on tightly to Skye's hand and nervously eyeing the top of the wheel every few seconds. They got to the front and were instructed to sit down on the bench in front of them, and Jemma would have backed out had it not been for Skye's reassuring smile and hand in hers.

As they were locked in by the operator, Jemma wanted to explain that the coral reef was different, that the height wasn't even bad because she could swim in water, and she wanted to point out that she couldn't swim in air. It was too late though, because before she knew it, the ride was lurching into movement and they were slowly traveling up to the top.

The bench was big enough for the both of them to have plenty of room, but Jemma still smashed herself into Skye's side, growing more and more nervous as they made their way up. Her arms wrapped around Skye's waist and she tucked herself neatly against her friend's body, even resting her head on Skye's shoulder so that practically every bit of their sides were touching.

Once they got to the top Jemma realized that Skye had been right about the view. The people below looked like little crabs, and she could see further out across town as well as out into the ocean. The amazing sight didn't prevent her from being scared, though, so while she still clung to Skye while trying to enjoy the experience at the same time. It was probably holding onto Skye that made it enjoyable anyway, not just the view.

“You’re alright, I’ve got you…just look around,” Skye assured, her arm also around Jemma’s waist, holding her close, even though the girl was doing that mostly herself.  From her back pocket she pulled out her phone, her _new_ phone, since her other hadn’t survived her first tumble into the ocean.  She pulled up the camera for Jemma and then carefully held it out to her.

“Why don’t you try to take a picture since you’re so good at it? I can print it out later and give it to you like the others, that way you have a nice picture to remember your day with legs?” Skye questioned, gently taking her free hand and wrapping it around Jemma’s so she would hold the phone.  “Just let it focus and then push the circle button on the screen and it’ll take a picture.  Just don’t drop it!” Skye warned with a grin and nudged her gently so she would take it.

She really enjoyed the view, but the fact that Jemma was pressed against her like this made her heart flutter.  The feeling that had been bubbling up all day was starting to boil over and when Skye turned her head to look at Jemma in the dying sun, she forgot to breathe.  She wished Jemma had her tail, that way at least she could touch it.  Skye figured it would be as close as she could get to what she wanted.

Jemma carefully took the phone from Skye, definitely not wanting to drop it and force her to get yet another one. She was grateful for the slight distraction and held it up, though not too far away from her own body, and snapped the picture once they reached the top again.

Having been starting to get the hang of human things, Jemma did not fail to notice the little button in the corner with a camera and an arrow, and just to see if it did what she thought it did, she tapped on it with her thumb. Sure enough, the little image on the screen changed to look like them, and it made Jemma smile. Just like a mirror. She pressed the little round button again before she handed the phone back to Skye.

"I want that one, too." She smiled, snuggling back into Skye to enjoy the rest of the ride. Most of her fear was gone, but she wasn't going to tell Skye that when it was such a good excuse for her to continue nuzzling into her for safety.

Skye looked at the two pictures and she beamed at the last one.  Jemma looked like a human so what was the harm in taking a picture of her now?  She was very glad she had done this, because even though her sketches were near perfect, they still weren’t Jemma.  She was going to keep this picture forever, if Jemma let her and it made her hold onto the mermaid even tighter, under the pretense of trying to keep her safe from falling of course.

Soon the ride came to an end, even though Skye didn’t want it to.  She wanted to keep Jemma at her side, keep the feeling of her pressed up against her, but she knew that it couldn’t last.  It made her sad, but she was still glad that Jemma was having so much fun.

They got off with no trouble, Skye taking Jemma’s hand to lead her down from the ride and towards the edge of the pier where the railing was.  She looked out over the ocean for a moment before turning back around to face the rest of the park, “So, what looks like fun now?  We have a whole book of tickets so we can ride more rides or play games.  You just point to what looks fun and I’ll tell you what it does and you can decide if that’s what you want to do, it is your day afterall.”

The ocean looked so different from up here, Jemma realized. It just looked like a ton of water, stretched out into the horizon, and she assumed most people would never know what it was like just beneath the surface, just like mermaids didn't know what it was like up here. Jemma was lucky enough to be able to see both.  

"I'm sure anything would be fun." Jemma said, turning around and leaning her back against the railing like Skye. She'd be lying if she said she didn't feel the urge to continue wrapping her arms around her waist and holding her hand, but she didn't quite know what that meant, so she tried to let it go. There was still so much left that she had yet to see, but as Jemma's eyes scanned across the place looking for the next thing to do, one booth in particular caught her attention.

"What is he doing, him over there?" Jemma pointed. Jemma knew what spider webs were at this point, they'd come across a few today and Skye had explained, but this confused her. It looked like the man inside the tiny building was gathering a bunch of colorful ones up on a stick.

It took Skye a moment to pick out what Jemma was looking at past the people walking by, but then she spotted it and smiled wide.

“That’s cotton candy.  It’s something you eat.  It’s sweet, like the chocolate pie you tried, but different flavors.  It melts in your mouth too, you want some?” Skye asked, looking down at Jemma with a smile.  She was so cute, experiencing all of these new things, and Skye just wanted to make the mermaid as happy as possible today.  She didn’t know if they would ever get another chance like this.

“I’ll go get you some.  Wait right here…here take pictures,” Skye handed Jemma her phone with the camera up, “The sunset is really nice from here so get some good ones for me so I can practice painting them later.” The brunette smiled and squeezed Jemma’s hand lightly before she made sure that she would stay put.  She left her at the railing, running across the pier to the cotton candy stand where she forked over five dollars for a stick of blue cotton candy after waiting a couple of minutes.

At first Jemma didn't mind waiting at all, she just stood there and took pictures of nearly everything. She'd decide which ones she wanted to keep later, but for now she just wanted to capture it all before it disappeared when she had to go back into the ocean. She got a couple of the sunset, some of people walking by, and some of the rides, stands, or booths scattered across the pier. It was quite large, and felt significantly more so when she was on it instead of looking from below.

Jemma was content to just wait by the railing, at least until she saw another furry creature. It sort of looked like a dog, and someone was walking it on a leash, but it looked different. She raised up the phone camera to snap a picture and ask Skye about it when she got back, but the dog and its owner slipped into a crowd before she could get a clear image. It wouldn't do any harm to take a few steps away from where Skye told her to wait, would it? Skye was just at the cotton candy stand, it wasn't like she had to go somewhere and Jemma would be here for a while.

A few steps turned into a few more steps, and a few more steps turned into a lot more. She couldn't find the dog anywhere, and it was quite a long time before she remembered to turn around and check to see if Skye had gotten back to the railing. Only the railing wasn't there, it was just more people and more rides and games and attractions that were all too crazy looking for her to recognize or tell apart.

"Skye?" She called out nervously, now clutching the phone so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Being out here with Skye was one thing, but being surrounded by people and loud noises and flashing lights when Skye wasn't there to hold her hand and explain what everything was... it was terrifying. Her feet moved slowly, taking cautious steps, though not in any particular direction. She was lost, and she knew it.

Jemma took a step backwards, trying to change direction again, and someone roughly crashed into her, saying something about watching where she was going and adding on a few words Jemma didn't know or understand. The jolt of it knocked her to the side, and the toe of her shoe knocked against a raised board on the pier.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a huge, strong arm wrapped around Jemma's waist and prevented her from being knocked on her ass. Once the stranger righted her and Jemma wasn't afraid she would tip over, she finally looked up at him. He towered over her, all dark and mysterious, a smirk on his face.

"Th-thank you." Jemma stuttered. This was the first time she'd spoken to a human other than Skye, and this one definitely did seem intimidating. His eyes scanned over her body once and he looked amused by Jemma's voice and the way she was acting.

"You must not be from around here." He chuckled, though it sounded fake.

"Right, I'm from the North Sea." Jemma blurted out, not really knowing how to answer the question and not wanting to seem even stranger by just darting off. It didn't even strike her how unusual it would sound to say she was from a sea.

"So England." He quirked one eyebrow, and Jemma was very much wishing Skye was back at her side, even though this stranger was just being friendly.

"Y-yeah, I guess I am from there." Jemma smiled nervously, not sure of what to do. She clutched Skye's phone in front of her, really wishing she hadn't left the railing.

"So what are you doing here?" He asked. Jemma didn't know what was considered being too nosy for humans, but she didn't want to seem suspicious by not saying anything about herself. She was a horrible liar, and the truth just instinctively spurted out of her because of how anxious she was.

"I'm looking for my friend, Skye." It wasn't even until after she said this that she realized he probably meant what was she doing out of England, but she just said whatever came to mind first. It was like saying this somehow made something click in this person's head, though, because he looked over her once more and recognition shone in his eyes.

"I know Skye, here, come with me, I'll help you find her." The stranger clapped his hand down on her shoulder and Jemma looked behind her, almost as if she was checking once more to see if Skye was there to help her, before she followed as the stranger tugged her along in what looked like a random direction.

 

___________

 

“Hey, I got you the blue because it matches your-“ Skye stopped.  She had been walking towards the railing, excited to see what Jemma thought of cotton candy, only to find that she was missing.  She felt her heart start to pound but she refused to panic just yet, making herself stop and look around first.  She checked to the left.  No Jemma.  She checked to the right.  No Jemma, again.

Skye could feel her chest start to tighten and her heart pounded heavily in her ribcage against her wishes.  She turned around again.  No Jemma.  She looked everywhere, her eyes scanning fast now over every face that passed by and none of them were right.

“Jemma?” she called out, taking a step towards the crowd.  She was hesitant to leave the railing, where she had told Jemma to wait.  If she hadn’t strayed too far then the girl would be able to see her, but as she waited a minute, and then another, Jemma never came and she wasn’t going to dare waste another minute just standing there.

“ _Jemma_?!” She was more frantic now, moving into the crowd and down the pier, forgetting about the cotton candy and letting it drop down onto the wooden boards as she shoved past people.  She was sprinting at this point and stopped when she had felt she had gone too far.  Jemma couldn’t have possibly gotten this far away.  Skye had told her to stay put and she knew the girl would have listened to her.

 

___________

 

The longer Jemma was with this stranger and not Skye, the more differences between them she began to notice. For one, Skye was much less...creepy. Skye was genuinely nice and friendly and all kinds of good things, but with this person she could feel an ulterior motive, or at least a deeper thought she didn't know about. Jemma was good at sensing these sorts of things, and even though he was being so nice, there was something a little off about him.

Secondly, he was rough. Skye was always gentle, it felt like she was cradling her hand when she held onto it, always touching her carefully and affectionately. This person was quite the opposite, his large hand squeezing at her shoulder as they walked felt rough and he was gripping her with too much force, even if he didn't know it.

Lastly, the stranger made walking harder. Skye made it easy, she walked at her pace and helped her when she stumbled, or waited for her when she needed a break. This man only shifted his hand from her shoulder to the back of her neck and pushed her forward as they walked, even though Jemma neither felt comfortable walking with him or at this pace. She felt like she was going to trip and fall at any second, though it didn't seem like her guide would care.

As they did walk, they exited the main part of the crowd and people were beginning to be sparse. It almost seemed like Ward was leading her away, he was urgent and insistent about moving in one direction, away from people, instead of wandering and actually seeming as if he was looking for someone.

Just when Jemma felt herself begin to panic at the loss of her best friend and the gain of whoever this was, she spotted a familiar form and short, slightly messy brown hair from behind.

"There she is!" Jemma said enthusiastically, pointing. Skye hadn't seen them yet, and Jemma feared for a moment that this person wasn't actually going to let her get back to Skye, but then he plastered on a very fake looking smile and shoved her in the other direction, hand resuming its place on the back of her neck, like he was trying to control her. It turned out that he was, because when Jemma tried to take a step, his hand tightened slightly, telling her not to move. She didn't.

"I think this belongs to you." The man finally spoke up when Skye was within hearing range, a joking, yet threatening tone in his voice. He didn't sound happy.  

Skye's heart stopped.  She could swear that it did.  If her chest was ripped open and examined Skye was certain that in that moment, it wasn’t beating.  The voice made her visibly tense, even before she turned around and what he said made her prepare for the worst possible outcome imaginable.  She tried not to turn around too quickly, to play it cool, because Jemma wouldn’t understand if Skye was suddenly very hostile.  She had to be civil.  She had to face him with at least a little less contempt than normal.

The sight of him with her…the very fact that Ward was standing there, his hand on the back of Jemma’s neck, that he had been the one to find her made her blood boil.  She had been stupid for bringing Jemma here, for thinking that taking her on land would be fun.  She had forgotten.  She had completely and utterly forgotten about this asshole in her happiness high of being with the mermaid.

“There you are, Jemma…I thought I told you to stay _put_?”  She couldn’t help it.  Her tone was a little more firm than normal, but she wasn’t looking at her best friend.  She was looking at Ward, a pointed stare in his direction.

Skye quickly moved forward and grabbed the mermaid’s hand and pulled her away from him.  Luckily, he let her go without a fuss, although his grin made Skye want to rush over the railing and throw up.  She held onto Jemma’s hand tightly now, not loose like before when she had been apt to let her walk away and wander a little bit.  Now she wanted her close.  She didn’t want her even an inch from her side.

“Thanks.” Skye said it shortly and gave him a curt nod, not wanting to linger and spare him anymore words, “We were just _leaving_ though, enjoy the rides.” Her hand tugged lightly, but insistently at Jemma’s as Skye turned around abruptly and started off at a quick pace back towards the arcade and the beginning of the pier.  She wanted to put as much distance between him and Jemma as possible.  Her head began to hurt her jaw was clenched so tightly.  Skye could still feel her heart pounding and she wouldn’t be surprised if Jemma could hear and feel it too through her hand.

She didn’t let Jemma stop to take a break until they were far down the sidewalk and the pier was back behind them and all the noises faded into the distance.  She was almost out of breath, but she knew that Jemma would be and so she finally slowed down, letting Jemma stop and catch her own, though she didn’t let go of her.  Skye kept an eye out behind them, making sure that Ward wasn’t following or coming after them.  She couldn’t take any chances right now, not with Jemma here.  Skye didn’t care if he got a hold of her, but if he got a hold of Jemma, Skye was fairly certain she would be going to jail for manslaughter.

“C’mon, we need to get you back.”

"Skye...? What just happened?" Jemma asked once she finally caught her breath. She'd struggled to keep up with Skye this time just like she had with that man, and the insistent pulling had her on edge. They had been having such a good day, and all of a sudden Skye seemed so adamant about bringing her back to where she'd come from. Maybe it was because she hadn't listened and she'd wandered off.

"I thought we were having fun... I didn't mean to move away from the railing, I just..." Jemma didn't really want to finish her sentence. Maybe Skye got tired of how Jemma didn't know anything, that's why she was taking her back, so she didn't really want to explain that she moved because she saw what was maybe a dog and wanted to show her a picture to be sure.

Now that they were away from the pier and the arcade and most other people, the air around her felt dead and silent, and Skye's temporary silence after she spoke didn't help either.

“Oh my god, no…” Skye shook her head and released Jemma’s hand gently and took her eyes away from the side walk behind them to look at the mermaid, turning fully to face her.  “It’s not you Jemma.  I had so much fun today,” Skye smiled and it was genuine even though it was small.  She tried to relax, to show Jemma that she was alright, but she just couldn’t do it.

It made her skin crawl to see how Ward had handled her.  She wanted to punch him in the throat.  It was a fanciful idea, because she knew that she would never be able to do it.  He was just too big and he knew how to throw it around.

“It’s not you Jems, you’re perfect.  I loved showing you around…It’s just…” her jaw clenched again when she thought about it, but she forced herself to relax, “it was Ward…” She sighed heavily and grabbed for her hand again, holding more lightly this time like she normally did.

“Ward was the one who found you and I just…” She couldn’t help it.  Her jaw clenched again and she looked past Jemma to make sure they were still alone.  “It’s not safe right now. I have to get you back…”

Upon hearing the name that often filled Jemma with rage and sadness, she froze and something pinched in her chest. Fear. Ice cold, genuine fear, and she was suddenly feeling very lucky that she'd seen Skye just then.

"That-that was Ward?" Jemma asked, now one hundred and ten percent understanding in Skye's urgency to get them out of there. That was the person who kicked her around, beat her up. If only Jemma had known, she would have done something... what could she have done, though? Ward was huge, and if Skye couldn't take him, how could Jemma?

The harsh reality that the rest of their night had been ruined still sat heavily with her, but Jemma knew that she had to get back to the ocean if Ward really was out and about tonight. She should have thought of that before she decided to go gallivanting around on land, but she hadn't. Neither of them had. Jemma had promised Skye that she'd be careful, but this felt like the opposite of that.

"We definitely should get back." Jemma nodded her head repeatedly and in quick succession, grabbing for Skye's hand again and taking a few steps to let her know that her break was over and she could walk again.

“Yeah…that was Ward,” Skye answered and followed after Jemma, making sure to stay extra close to her now while they walked.  She didn’t say anything else, unsure of what exactly _to_ say.  She was upset the rest of their night had been ruined but she supposed that too much of a good thing could actually be a bad thing.  They had had fun all day and Skye was truly grateful that Jemma had stolen the potion so that all of this could happen…well, except for running into Ward of course.

They had reached the beach access point before Skye realized and it made her even sadder to know that this day really was ending.  They still had the walk back and Skye was sure that Jemma would linger a while after changing back, but the brunette didn’t want her hanging around too long.  She wanted Jemma safe and as far from Ward as possible, which meant being out in the middle of the ocean somewhere and nowhere near land.

It had scared her so much to find her missing, but even more so to know that Ward had found her.  And that grin he had on his face…it made Skye worry even more.  Almost like he knew she had a dirty little secret, but couldn’t quite put his finger on it, even though he literally had.  She had truly loved being with Jemma while she had legs, showing her everything…but Skye was almost positive now that she couldn’t let her do it again.  There would always be a chance that Ward was around and she didn’t want to risk even the slightest possibility that she could run into him again while she was with Jemma.  Keeping her safe was her top priority.

She realized now this is part of what Bobbi had meant…Skye could mean well all she wanted, and she had, but something could inevitably happen that was out of her control.  Tonight she had just been lucky.

They were already halfway to the rock wall when Skye finally did speak up again, squeezing Jemma’s hand lightly for emphasis, “I really did have fun today…th-this was the best surprise ever.”

"Really? I'm so glad you enjoyed it, today was the best day ever." Jemma was already smiling again. Skye had that effect on her. Despite running into Ward, she'd still had a wonderful time and wouldn't trade the experience for anything.

As they got closer to the rock wall, Jemma couldn't help but wonder if anything would be different. Now that she knew just how much was out there, would she be satisfied with just the ocean and the simple things in it? She would have to be, as that was the safest place for her. There would always be Skye. Jemma would always have her best friend there when she needed her and she was sure that today couldn't change much. Jemma would still be fascinated with Skye's knowledge and life and Skye would still be enthralled by her tail, nothing different, at least for them. They had a strange normal, but it was still nice.

They reached the rock wall soon after and Jemma mostly got over herself, only needing a little help from Skye. Once she was over, Jemma looked at the ocean longingly. Without realizing it, she had missed it. It would be like returning to a familiar bed after a taxing day.

"Thank you, Skye, for everything." Jemma smiled in the partial darkness and squeezed Skye's hand affectionately.

Skye ran a nervous hand through her hair and chuckled, “No need to thank me…r-really it was your idea.  You should be thanking yourself for stealing that potion,” She smiled and walked with Jemma towards the water, stopping short like she always did.  Jemma had tried to get her to come in many times before, but she had always staunchly refused.  There wasn’t enough money in the world to get her to actually touch the water.  Jemma had been very brave today, coming onto land and doing all of the things that they had done.  She doubted any other mermaid could say they had done that.  She was very proud of Jemma.

Now that it was practically time for her to go, Skye found, like every day, that she didn’t want her to, and so her grip on Jemma’s hand tightened ever so slightly in anticipation for her pulling away to go back into the ocean.  She didn’t know what to say though, and it hadn’t been the first time today, and she suspected it wouldn’t be the last time either, but what was she supposed to do?  She had all of these…these feelings building up inside of her and in her chest and Skye didn’t know what to do about them.  

She loved to touch Jemma’s tail because it made her happy and it felt nice to both of them, but for different reasons.  She knew now that was how mermaids showed affection but she didn’t know if she could be content with that.  She would probably have to be though.  She couldn’t tell if Jemma was just very affectionate period or if they were just very _very_ close best friends…or if there was something else there.  Skye wanted there to be, but she was too nervous and too afraid to do anything about it, even now as she didn’t want Jemma to leave, she was too scared to say anything…to try and get some clarification.

“I’ll uhm…t-try to print those p-pictures for…for you tomorrow…” She was stuttering again, and she hoped Jemma only thought it was because she was chilly.  She had no reason probably, in Jemma’s eyes, to be nervous, and so trying to explain just wouldn’t end well.  Skye didn’t think she could if she tried.

"Great, I can't wait." Jemma grinned. She was more than excited to have that picture of herself and Skye to keep forever. As for the stuttering, it didn't even phase Jemma anymore. Skye did it so often and so seemingly for no reason that she'd become accustomed to it, it was just something Skye did.

Slowly, a tingle ran up Jemma's legs from her toes all the way to her waist, and she knew she didn't have much time left.

"It's time for me to go." Jemma said softly. She pulled Skye into a quick hug, but when they parted, she found that she really couldn't find a way to convince herself to move her hands from Skye's waist and get back into the water before her tail reappeared in a minute or two. She just stared into Skye's eyes, noticing something different there, but not being quite sure what it was.

Skye felt a constriction in her chest at the words, but knew it was probably best.  She had kept Jemma out late again and it was dangerous for her to swim as it got darker.  She also knew the potion was wearing off and she would have to return to it either way, but that didn’t mean she had to be happy about it.  It really was the safest place for her though, and so Skye knew she had to let her go…and she would have except Jemma didn’t.

Even after the hug, with Jemma’s hands still on her waist, Skye couldn’t bring herself to remove hers.  She wanted to hold onto her as long as possible.  It felt like, even though the day had been fun and wonderful, it had been spoiled.  Jemma had been scared all day and stuck close to her and held her hand and pressed herself against her on the Ferris Wheel…and although they did some of that on the beach most every day anyway, it had felt different.  It had made her feel like she had a chance.  Once Jemma changed back…Skye didn’t know if she would be able to work herself up again.  Everything would go back to normal…but Skye didn’t want it to.  Skye wanted it to be better.

Before she could talk herself back down again, Skye’s hands had moved from hugging Jemma up to her face, where she cupped her cheeks softly.  She didn’t have time to worry about her not understanding or being confused.  Skye could explain later.  She didn’t have time to wonder if things were going to go well.  This was Jemma, and Jemma has said she cared for her deeply.  The reaction couldn’t be terrible. A polite no, she thought, at the worst, although she hoped desperately against it.

In the next moment, right after her hands had moved to hold the mermaid, her mouth was on Jemma’s, lips pressed against hers gently, but with a firm force behind them.  It was insistent and needy and Skye didn’t know how else to show Jemma how she felt.  Tail touching wasn’t the same for her…it didn’t have quite the right…feel to it as this did, probably because she wasn’t a mermaid.  She certainly couldn’t just come out and tell her.  She wasn’t _that_ good with words.  She would have never made it through the sentence let alone actually got the part about how Jemma made her feel.  This would have to do initially.  Skye was more than willing to explain after the fact, once her brief spark of bravery was gone.

Jemma froze, every muscle in her body went rigid. Everything had been normal one second, and then the next Skye's mouth was on hers and she didn't understand. She didn't understand what this was and why it made her feel like she'd just been electrocuted by an eel, like she couldn't breath, like her heart was beating so wildly that it might just jump out of her chest. She thought she'd known most of Skye's customs by now, but apparently she hadn't. She didn't have the faintest idea what this was about or what it was supposed to mean, and even though she wanted to relish the feeling, she couldn't commit to it.

Just like Jemma had wanted to explain to Skye what touching her tail meant before it happened, Jemma wished Skye had told her what this meant before she'd just gone and done it. She could tell it was serious, Skye was acting very, very serious, and Jemma just couldn't reciprocate whatever this was until she knew.

A tiny noise of confusion and protest slipped out of her lips and across Skye's, which were still pressed against hers, stifling it. Before Jemma could realize it, the hands on Skye's waist were no longer happily holding her, but pushing her away. She slipped out of Skye's grasp without much trouble, but she had absolutely no clue what to do.

"I- What-" Jemma couldn't finish. It felt like she was suffocating even though she'd pulled away. She didn't know what it meant, and she was scared that it appeared to mean so much to Skye just by the look on her face.   
Jemma panicked. Only a few steps from the water, it took her no time flat to reach it, diving headfirst into a wave in the shallows, just dying to get underwater and away from Skye's stare.

There was strain on her legs, and Jemma frantically yanked the clothes off once she was deep enough before her tail reformed and she returned to her former self, plus the unbearably confusing feelings. She knew it was wrong to run away, but it felt like Skye had just done something major, and she didn't know what it was. She almost didn't want Skye to tell her, she wanted to figure out the answer herself. She wanted to understand the explosive feeling Skye had planted in her chest and she wanted to unravel and solve it on her own, without anything to tell her how she was supposed to feel.

Glancing back at the shore, Jemma felt guilty, though she couldn't see Skye's face. She didn't want to imagine it, either. Instead, she swam, not even back to the caves, just away, to think.

“ _Shit_.”

Skye had thought she was prepared.  She had thought it would turn out better than this.  She didn’t think it could go this horribly wrong.  

Skye felt it the moment she felt Jemma push her away.  It wasn’t what had gripped her before—the stupid, blind, idiotic feeling that had made her do this in the first place—it was worse.  It was fear.  She was more afraid now than she had been when she had turned around and found Jemma with Ward.  It was more now than it had been when she had fallen into the ocean and almost drowned.  Skye was certain she would rather be drowning right now.

“ _Jemma?!_ "

She was already in the water.  She was gone and in the dark, Skye couldn’t see any signs of her.  If she had thought her heart had stopped before, well she might as well not even have one now.   _Fuck, fuck, fuck you idiot, you messed it up!!_

“Jemma, _come back!!  I’m sorry!!_ ”

Skye didn’t have a flashlight.  She couldn’t see anything except for the open expanse of blackness that was the ocean at night.  She didn’t hear Jemma answer or splash back up out of the water.  Skye didn’t realize she was in the water herself until she felt the next wave wash up over her shoes, soaking them and the bottom of her pants.

She shrieked and shot back up to where it was dry, almost tripping over the sand in her haste to get away.  “You fucking fucked it up you idiot.  You fucking idiot!” Her hands were in her hair, pulling it back, hard, on purpose, making her hairline sting as her nails dug into her skull.  She kicked the sand angrily, yelling at herself as she turned around in circles, not knowing what to do but always coming back to look at the water.

The mermaid was gone, and she wasn’t coming back.  Once this realization hit, everything else came crashing down in quick succession and, like she had the night she had come here after Ward had beaten the shit out of her, she cried.  She didn’t just sob.  She screamed.  She screamed at the sand.  She screamed at the ocean.  She screamed at the moon.  She screamed at herself.  Frustrated and fed up she lashed out, her fist colliding with the rock wall in the dark.  It scraped and bloodied her knuckles and it only made her cry harder and get angrier, so she punched it again.  The result was the same, but she didn’t know what else to do.  Her hand ached, so she kicked it.  She kicked it again and again and when finally she could do either of those anymore, she fell on her knees into the sand.

Anything was better than this.  She had messed up.  She had messed up on a massive scale and driven Jemma away.  She couldn’t handle it.  She almost wished Ward was here, if only so he could beat the life out of her.  She probably deserved it for being so stupid.  She couldn’t bring herself to move.  She just kept wishing Jemma would come back and before she knew it, it had been an hour…and then another hour…and then three and she was freezing and her tears had long since stopped.  She’d run out of them.  Now she just sat bitterly in the sand, unable to make herself move to go home.  She’d fucked up big time.

 


	8. Cosmic Love

Jemma's night didn't go much better either, in fact, it went just as terribly. After her initial breakdown and frantic escape, which had actually gotten her a good thirty miles away, she had slowed down and tried to figure out what to do. She immediately regretted leaving Skye alone on that beach, but she had to figure things out on her own. She couldn't go back to the caves, her pod members would instantly be on her tail and she just wasn't up for that right now.

The only other solution would be to find other shelter and either go back to the caves or the beach in the morning, depending on how her thoughts turned out. Finding shelter was no easy task, though, her pod had been lucky to find the caves. Jemma went without one, simply sitting at the ocean floor, thinking about what that thing with Skye had felt like. It was terrifying and unknown, but also sort of wonderful. If only Jemma had slowed down enough to tell her so, maybe this would be better right now.

It had to be intimate, whatever Skye had done. In her time with the human she found that they weren't as touchy-feely as mermaids, and personal space was a lot more important to them. For Skye to throw those values into the wind had to mean something important. The only thing she could think about was the deep bond between them. How it formed, how it had been going, but mostly what it was. What were they, exactly? Best friends, sure, but what else? The only other type of relationship she really knew about was partnership, but that- wait.

Skye knew that that was what tail touching meant, was Skye just trying to show her the human version of that?! Jemma suddenly felt extremely guilty for running away, she wanted to go back and say that she was sorry and that she had enjoyed whatever that was called, she just hadn't understood it. After a whole day of crazy new things, something she didn't understand was quite a repeat experience. She wanted to go back to Skye, but she was probably already gone, and she ran into another problem.

Jemma had no luck on her own, apparently, because she'd stopped paying attention, and she didn't think to watch out until she saw a shape in the dark, distant water, and by then it was too late. She shot off back towards the caves, but it wasn't going to do any good. She was fast, but some sharks were faster. It was night, sharks were nocturnal, they hunted at night. Now Jemma was the prey.

She sped back towards the cave, but it wasn't enough. One of the smaller sharks finally caught up and flung itself at her, locking its partially developed jaw onto her shoulder and back. She let out a screech, one that would alert her pod both that there were sharks and that she was in danger, before she grabbed the shark herself, pried it off after a struggle, and continued swimming, leaving a large trail of blood behind for the sharks to follow. Maybe they somehow decided to have mercy on her, or maybe her pod members had gone out and done something she hadn't noticed, but soon there were arms around her and a terrified voice trying to get past her ears and to her head.

"Jemma, what happened? Where have you been? Are you okay? Can you hear me?" They just kept coming and Jemma didn't have time to answer them , though she would have tried her best if it had been Skye. It didn't matter that Bobbi was holding her close and swimming her back to the cave and their shaman, not unless Skye was there.

The shaman gave Bobbi a mixture made out of plants with healing abilities, always keeping the stronger magic for life or death emergencies. Without another word from Jemma, Bobbi brought her back to the small sleeping space shared between the two of them and forced Jemma to lie on her stomach as Bobbi applied the medicine to each of the teeth's puncture wounds or tears, trying to ignore the hissing sounds each time her fingers came into contact.

"Did something happen with Skye?" Bobbi finally asked her once she was finished. They hadn't been talking lately, but she knew her sister well enough to know that only one thing could make her this upset. She'd even been happy she'd been stung by that jellyfish as a kid just because now she knew what it felt like. She was different now, though.

"Please, just leave me alone." Jemma sighed, hiding her face in her arms as she lay face down and wishing she could curl up in a ball and die. She wanted to go see Skye, but she was so tired... Her eyelids drooped shut, and soon she was out like a light, though her dreams were stressful and full of Skye.

 

\----------------------

Skye didn’t know whether to get up and go now or wait till her and Jemma’s regular time to meet to go to the beach but she knew that she wasn’t going to get any sleep.  She had been lying in her bed for hours and the birds were already starting to chirp outside, signaling that the sun would be coming up soon.

The walk back to her house had been a long one, but once she got there she had found her supply of tears had been refilled.  She stayed them off until she could get up to her room, making sure to keep quiet downstairs so her mother didn’t hear her come in so late.  She had washed and bandaged her knuckles and fallen into bed.  She had tried to sleep, but it hadn’t come.  She was too worried and afraid and upset at what she had done.  How stupid she had acted without thinking.  She had probably ruined things with Jemma.

However, by the time the sun had come up, Skye had managed to fall asleep, full of fitful dreams and unrest.  By the time she had woken up it was already past the time that she and Jemma normally met and she scrambled to get dressed.  She didn’t take much, not sure what to grab, so she raced out the front door and jumped on her bike.

From the beach access point she leapt off, not even bothering to lock her bike onto the rack before she was sprinting down the beach, cutting the time it took her to reach the rock wall nearly in half.  She scrambled over it, chest heaving, heart pounding and gasping for air.  She practically fell to the other side, but once she was up, she scanned the shore.  No rock tower.

“No, no, _no…_ ”

She left her bag where it had fallen and ran to the water’s edge, looking around frantically.  Maybe she had missed it.  But there was nothing.

“Jemma?!”   No answer.

“Jemma, if you’re here _please_ come out!”  No answer again.

Jemma was always here early, so the fact that Skye was late and she wasn’t here…Skye didn’t want to think about it.  She resigned herself to go and sit in the shade some of the larger rocks of the wall provided, taking out her phone and flipping through all of the pictures.  It made her cry again to look at them, especially the one Jemma had taken of them on the Ferris Wheel.  She could hardly stand it.

Skye was hungry, but she didn’t leave.  She had forgotten to pack a snack but she didn’t get up to go and get one.  She waited it out, the entire day, and the sun was well down in the horizon before she even thought of getting up.

Jemma hadn’t shown up.  Jemma probably wasn’t going to show up period.  Skye had scared her away and she was trying to prepare herself for that.  It actually became night again before her phone battery died and she began to get cold again.  Without thinking about it as much as she had last night, she finally got up off the sand and brushed herself off.  She would try again tomorrow, though she figured the results would probably be the same.

 

____________

 

When Jemma's eyes finally flashed open again, she didn't know what time it was, but for some reason it felt like it had been a long while. She blinked several times to clear the fogginess from her vision and her mind, and for a minute everything was alright...until everything came rushing back. If mermaids could cry, Jemma was sure she would right now.

Suddenly, she realized she had no idea what time it was and panic began to bubble up in her throat as she began to wonder if she had missed Skye. Wide eyed and finicky, Jemma pushed against the rock wall and raised her upper body, wincing at the pain it caused the relatively large oval of teeth marks and punctured or slightly raised skin on her right shoulder and shoulder blade. It felt like the bite was larger than she had been able to tell last night, but she couldn't be sure.

"Jemma, you need to rest." The sudden voice and light hand on her good shoulder made Jemma flinch and jump, she was still so wound up that even Bobbi in their own cave startled her.

"What happened to you?" Bobbi's eyes were full of sadness, and it made Jemma's heart ache, even though she'd been trying to stay mad at her sister. She was concerned and very upset and Jemma couldn't blame her. She was acting very strange, even she knew it.

"How long have I been asleep?" Jemma answered her question with a question.

"About a sun and a moon. The shaman gave you something to help, you were exhausted and you need rest to heal." Bobbi informed her. Skye may not have understood the mermaid's way of expressing time, but Jemma sure did, and she was horrified to discover that she'd been asleep for a full twenty four hours. She'd probably missed Skye. What would she think, when she showed up and Jemma wasn't there, after everything that had happened the night before?

"I have to go," Jemma was already trying to pull herself to the edge of the ledge and into the water, but it was difficult using only one arm.

"I know." Bobbi sighed. It was like she'd come to accept that Jemma would always go back to Skye, and even though she didn't know why Jemma had disappeared yesterday and come back like this, she had to trust that Skye wouldn't hurt her, as she didn't really have an option.

Jemma was grateful for this, and very glad that Bobbi didn't try to stop her when she finally did slip into the water. The salt stung her wound, but there wasn't much she could do about it. Mermaids didn't exactly have a ton of extra material sitting around to make bandages with.

"Just be back by nightfall, or the sharks are going to come for you again." Bobbi warned, and Jemma just nodded, her mind already on Skye. Would she show up after Jemma didn't yesterday? Hopefully she kept coming back.

It was still early when Jemma got to the beach, and by now her wounds were bleeding again, quickly dripping down Jemma's back when it could mix with the water and become so much thinner. Jemma clenched her jaw and pulled herself as far onto shore as she could manage with one arm, and the tiny rock tower she built there was pathetic. It was short and not made up of very many rocks at all, and it was still just within reach of some of the waves, which could probably knock it over.

Jemma would have pushed back into the water to go hide behind the rock and wait for Skye, but she wasn't sure she'd be able to get back up again and she was afraid to go back into the water right now when her attackers could still be out there, whether it was day or night. Some of the sand was already red with her blood, but Jemma couldn't move, she just laid in it, resting her head down on her arms like she had the night before. She wanted her best friend.

______

 

Skye had a tight knot in her stomach when she woke up, and she realized it was because she didn't know if she wanted to go to the beach today.  If she did and Jemma was there...what was she even going to say?  She had to apologize.  Obviously it had been enough to scare her away for a whole day.  Maybe she would just have to lie...tell her it had been a mistake...a lapse of judgement.  

Skye didn't know if she could do that.  She didn't think she could lie like that, tell Jemma she didn't really care as much as she did.  But if she did tell her and try to explain...what if Jemma didn't understand?  What if that wasn't what she wanted?  Then their friendship would get weird because they would both know Skye wanted to be more than just friends.  The thought of not going back danced in her mind, but only for a second before she pulled herself out of bed.  She had some classes today but Skye knew she wouldn't be able to concentrate.  

She began to get ready to go to the beach, even though she didn't know what she was expecting.  The scenarios in her head didn't play out well and it only made that knot bigger. She had never been this anxious about going to the beach.  She had always been excited but now...Skye felt like she had tainted it.  She had caused it to feel bad.  It was her fault if everything fell apart when she got there.

She didn't try hard today, there wasn't enough effort in her.  Her short hair was in a small ponytail and all she had on were some shorts and a shirt.  Before she stepped out of the house, she remembered to hook her phone to her computer and print all the pictures Jemma had taken.  Maybe she would still want at least the sunset ones.

Her next stop was the college, but she didn't go to class.  Instead, she laminated all the pictures so they wouldn't get messed up in the water.  Maybe she was stalling going back, but she didn't know, because she sighed heavily when she had finished.  She grabbed a bite to eat, and then got back on her bike and peddled slowly for the beach.

Once on the beach, the walk seemed to take forever.  Eons if it were possible, which it wasn't.  Her chest kept getting tighter and tighter as she approached and when she reached the rocks, she laid a hand on them, just standing there in dread, not sure if she could make it over.  She still took deep, heavy breaths and composed herself enough to sling her bag over.  Skye followed suit and when she landed inside the grotto she turned, hesitant to face the beach.  When she did, she wasn't sure what her eyes landed on first.  The rock tower, the blood, or Jemma lying there in the open.  She began to panic, but for a different reason than before.

"Jemma!?" Her bag was on the ground and she was running over, in the wet sand in an instant, knees in it, down on her level. She was bleeding.  Something had hurt her and Skye hated to think it had been because of all the stupid things she had done.

"You're hurt! Are you alright?  What happened?!" She could apologize later.  She didn't touch her, in case Jemma didn't want her to, but she stared at the puncture wounds with horror and worry.

When Jemma heard Skye, her head shot up and she winced at the movement. Skye was right there and even though Jemma didn't know what had happened between them, she still reached for Skye's hand, she needed to.

"You're here." Jemma breathed. She didn't know why she had been doubting her, Skye always came back.

"I was going to meet you yesterday, but I had a little trouble getting home that night." Jemma couldn't help but laugh, a small, bitter one. "Sharks are definitely not our friends." She joked, trying to sit up a little bit. Pain shot through her shoulder and she decided against it, though, so she laid back down and just held onto Skye's hand. For a minute it was starting to seem like nothing strange had happened between them.

"A shark?!" Skye looked at the shape of the wounds together and it made sense now in her head. She held Jemma's hand tighter for it.  This was her fault.  She had kept her out so late and then scared her off the other night, the girl probably hadn't been paying attention.  It made Skye want to cry all over again but this time, she held the tears back.  Jemma was the one hurt here, not her.  She could take it.  What she couldn't take would be if Jemma got eaten by a shark.  
            "You're still bleeding..." Skye didn't want to leave her, but she couldn't just let her lay here in the bloody sand.  She knew she had Band-Aids in her bag.  Her own hands had them on where she had stupidly punched rocks the night Jemma ran away.  She kept them there for her run ins with Ward too, but she wasn't sure that they would really help.   "Hold on..." Skye gently pulled her hand away after a squeeze and went up onto the dry sand and brought her bag back down, pulling out the band aid box.  
            Skye took off her shirt without hesitation.  She had a bra on and it was no different than Jemma sitting here in one all day.  "This might sting, I'm sorry," the brunette breathed and then as gently as she could, tried to dry up Jemma's back so she could get the Band-Aids to stick.  Her shirt would be a mess, but she didn't care.  She did however, take care to put Band-Aids on each individual mark, hoping that it would keep them alright until she found something better.  
            "There, just try not to move it.  If you were this hurt why did you come back?  You should have stayed...I-I can't handle you bleeding out in front of me," it was her fault.  She was the one who had driven Jemma away.

"I-I'm sorry about the other day.  I was an idiot...I didn't m-mean to chase you away and get you into trouble like this..."

"This wasn't your fault, Skye. I was being reckless, this is on me." Jemma said firmly. She shifted a tiny bit, trying to get used to whatever sticky things Skye had put on her wounds. "I'll be fine, there's nothing to worry about." She assured her. Before Skye could say anything else, Jemma spoke up again. There was still this weird thing between them, polluting the air, and Jemma had to clear it up.  
            "Oh, and Skye..." Jemma swallowed a lump in her throat, though she didn't know why she was nervous. This was her best friend, and if she was right, Skye felt the same way about her that she was beginning to discover. They had already established that they cared about each other, but to put herself out there like this...to consider the possibility of a partner-like relationship between them...it was crazy. It was more than crazy, it could never work. A fish and a bird could fall in love, but where would they live?  
            It was worth a shot, though, wasn't it? They'd been doing great so far and Jemma would be happier with this system than a normal relationship under the sea with anyone else.  
            "What you did..." Jemma paused again, and it looked like the anxiety was about to kill Skye, so she quickly righted it. "It... It wasn't bad. It was good. I just didn't know what it meant... But I think I know now. I only left because I needed to come to the same conclusion, figure out how I felt, without needing an explanation." Jemma looked back up into Skye's eyes, and she knew, she just _knew_ , that they both felt the same way. They weren't just friends, Jemma knew this. As a mermaid, she naturally loved everyone equally except for her partner, and Skye had grown to mean so much to her. She was more important than Bobbi, even more important than herself.  
            Skye was struck silent, to Jemma it looked like she was either shocked or in disbelief. Maybe Jemma needed to be more clear. It stung and hurt to sit up, but Jemma managed. Skye was quite used to Jemma touching her, so it was no different when Jemma laid a gentle hand on Skye's shoulder, at least until it slid to the back of her neck and her fingers buried themselves in Skye's hair.   
            "I know what it means." Jemma said again, quietly, her face only inches from her best friend's. Without another thought or second to doubt herself, Jemma leaned in the rest of the way and touched her lips to Skye's, very softly at first, but then with a little more pressure when her heart fluttered. It was a little awkward since she didn't know how to do this, but she was trying.

There was a split second where Skye didn't react.  Her brain was trying to process what Jemma was telling her while simultaneously trying to push all her anxiety and grief about it aside so she could just listen without panicking.  Only a second.  Then, the knot in her stomach seemed to dissolve and her chest expanded, taking a heavy and much needed inhale past Jemma's lips.  Her hands suddenly grasped at her hips, half on skin and half on scales before one moved up Jemma's back, careful to avoid her injury, and up into her hair, cradling the back of her head firmly.  She was pulling her closer.  Skye needed her to be closer.  
            Skye's lips moved against hers then, initial shock faded away, harder than Jemma's had, because this was actually happening.  She wanted it, she needed it, and suddenly she was desperate to get as much of this as possible.  Skye didn't mean to be rough.  She wanted Jemma to enjoy it, since she had just confessed that she had liked it before...but she was so happy.  Skye couldn't handle it.  She couldn't contain it. She certainly didn't want it to end, but she knew she needed to breathe, and Jemma did too.   
            She took her lips away, slowly, not really wanting to, and she touched their foreheads together while Skye kept a firm hold of the mermaid.  She didn't want her even an inch away because it would be too far.  She cleared her throat, her face red, but Jemma would appreciate the wide dorky grin she had on her face, "So then...miss know it all...if you're such an expert in the world of humans now...wh-what does it mean?" She wanted to hear the mermaid say it.  She needed to hear her say it.  Jemma could kiss her all day long like it was a regular custom for people but Skye had to be sure she came to exactly the right conclusion on her own.   
            "It...it means that we love each other. And that we're..." It was still a little hard for Jemma to say. She already knew she loved Skye very much, but to say it and mean it in a different way was a little scary. What if Jemma was wrong about what it meant and this wasn't it at all? "Partners. If you want." Jemma said it. The word all of her kind used to describe pairs of significant others. She hoped it would hold the same meaning for Skye.

"I do...I-I...would love to," Skye smiled and she wanted to kiss her again, but she thought that might be a little much for Jemma.  She was just getting used to this...and Skye supposed she was in a way as well.  
            "B-But of course only if that's what you really want too.  I know you know what it means...what I did, but I don't...I don't want to have pushed you into this if...if it isn't what you want," Skye clarified quickly.  She was happy, but she was still having trouble.  She probably always would.  How was it that a mermaid, a beautiful, perfect mythical creature, was going to choose her to love?  Skye could see it the other way around.  She found Jemma to be extraordinary, and for many more reasons than just the fact she was a mermaid.  People were so ordinary.    
            "I...I want to be 'partners', if that's what you want too..." She wanted it more than anything.

"I absolutely want it." Jemma nodded adamantly, taking both of Skye's hands in hers now. Her thumbs brushed over bandaids on Skye's knuckles. Jemma made the connection between injuries and the little sticky pads, so she knew Skye was hurt, but it didn't seem very bad and she didn't want to ruin their moment by prying about it.  
            Jemma just couldn't believe it, even as she held onto Skye's hands and pressed her tail up against Skye's legs. All everyone in the pod ever dreamed of was having a partner, and it was so satisfying to Jemma to know that she finally did have one. It made her feel whole. Skye was her partner for life now, for better or worse. Most of Jemma's pod members had been urging her to pick a partner for a while now, but she didn't think this was quite what they had in mind.   
            Skye had certainly come here thinking she had ruined everything, and seeing Jemma hurt had made it all that much worse but now things had turned out like she had hoped…better than she had hoped even.  She hesitantly took her hand from Jemma’s head and slowly brought it to her tail, which was pressed so close up against her legs they were touching and she could feel the coolness of the scales giving her shivers.  She stroked it slowly with a grin, not sure of what else to say but just very happy and content at the moment.

Sneaking a look at Jemma’s back, she concluded the band aids were working for now and it wasn’t a pressing issue to run to her house for the first aid kit.  She was relieved that she was alright and she sighed heavily, shifting so that she was next to Jemma instead of across from her, so the mermaid could lean against her comfortably and not have to strain her arm and shoulder.

“I thought I had scared you away for good…I was so terrified I had ruined…all of this.  I mean I can honestly say I’ve never had a girl fling herself into the ocean after a kiss…” She chuckled and scratched the back of her head before returning it to Jemma’s hand and holding it.

“Oh…uhm…that’s what it’s called, when you use your lips to touch someone .  A kiss…it's…sort of like tail touching, but not quite.  It’s still very different.  There are a lot of things humans do that are like tail touching but that’s not a conversation I can even start to explain right now.”

"Oh, Skye, you could never scare me away." Jemma sighed, leaning into Skye and trying not to let her sleepiness take over. "You're kind of stuck with me now." Jemma joked, and still, the reality of the fact that she had a partner and that partner was Skye still hadn't quite sunk in. Maybe it was because they hadn't finished the process yet.

"Can I borrow your necklace for a minute?" Jemma asked, but not before realizing that it sounded out of context. "According to mermaid tradition, we each have to exchange something personal if we really want to be linked forever." Jemma explained. Once Skye managed to take it off, Jemma pulled it closer to her lap and removed one of her own scales. It hurt no more than plucking a hair off the top of her head, and it would grow back soon. The colorful scale in her palm was no longer hers, but Skye's. It took Jemma just a few minutes to undo it a bit and braid the scale into the center. The colors were still visible, and the scale was held in place.

Jemma handed the newly modified piece of jewelry to Skye to look at for as long as she wanted before putting it back on.

"Obviously you can't use a scale, but I'm sure anything you think of will be just amazing. We're already straying from tradition quite a bit, don't you think?" Jemma laughed and smiled, she was happier in this moment than she had been ever in her life.

Skye eyed the necklace with wonder, handling it very gently.  She knew now, of course, that mermaid tails were practically sacred.  They were so special to each mermaid that taking one of their scales had to be a huge deal, so it made perfect sense in her head.  Skye had absolutely nothing of value that was this important that she could give to Jemma, but she knew she was good at making things…so she could think of something she hoped that came at least a little close to its significance.

“Thank you, Jemma.  I’m never going to take it off,” She smiled, leaning over a little so the mermaid could put it back around her neck, where it had stayed since she had given it to her and where it would now stay for as long as Skye could possibly manage to keep it there.  “Didn’t know I was going to get to carry the galaxy around on my neck when I woke up this morning,” she touched her new centerpiece with her finger lightly, still smiling ridiculously big, “I’m glad that I’ll have you everywhere I go now.  I miss you so much when we have to leave…I don’t really have any friends here now besides you…not that Ward was ever really an actual friend…” She leaned into her and couldn’t help it.  She kissed her cheek with a grin.

“What do you think everyone is going to think about this?  Surely you have to tell at least your sister?”

Jemma's cheeks tinted pink at the flattery, though it was a wonder she wasn't used to it at this point. She was glad Skye liked the scale so much and if she hadn't liked it before, she was definitely starting to like this human "kissing" thing. Her face felt warm and nice and her heart swelled. Everything was perfect until she remembered that eventually she'd have to tell the pod, but she didn't let that thought ruin this moment.

"I don't know if I should tell the pod just yet. Bobbi has actually been way more tolerant than I expect the others to be, unfortunately." Jemma sighed, trying not to think about how this was going to make everyone react.

"They're your family too, you know. Bobbi's your sister now too." Jemma said with a smile. She'd forgotten about this part, but she felt partially worried about how Skye would take this. Maybe she should have told her this beforehand. "Technically, if you're my partner, you're a member of the pod. You're a human member of a pod of merpeople, only one of which you've met." Jemma couldn't help but laugh, the whole idea was just as ridiculous yet satisfying as a mermaid and human falling in love.

Skye raised a curious eyebrow like she did often when Jemma mentioned things about merpeople that she hadn’t known before, this being one of them.  She thought it was sort of nice that they all treated each other so well, like one big family.  People would be a lot nicer if they did this too, probably.

“Well…that’s cool.  It’ll be nice to have a big family…it’s always been just me and my mom,” She laughed and shrugged it off.  It was curious, that she was now a ‘member’ of something that she wasn’t sure she could really be a member of.  How many other people had gotten to be members of a pod of mermaids?  Probably no one.  Skye felt special…but that was only because Jemma made her feel that way.

“Maybe I’ll get to meet everyone.  Maybe they’ll like me,” Skye shrugged then and looked out towards the sea, “They might even think it's funny…a hydrophobic human no less…”

Jemma chuckled at Skye's words. She was basically the definition of irony. Maybe the pod members would like her, once they got over the fact that Skye had two legs instead of a tail and stopped wondering if she was going to harpoon Jemma.

"Maybe you'll swim someday." Jemma said, looking out at the ocean. She would never force or rush Skye to get into the water, but if she was ever willing to try, Jemma would be there for her, no matter what. That's what partners did.

"What about you, are you going to tell your mother? If you think it's safe, I trust you. She is your family after all."   
            There was a sigh as Skye shrugged.  She didn’t really know what to tell her mother.  She didn’t suppose this was exactly like a girlfriend, it seemed a lot more permanent than that.  More like a marriage…which suddenly made her heart speed up and pound harder in her chest.  Jemma had mentioned forever a few times…and Bobbi had something about partners for life.  Skye was certain she could commit to that, but still, all of a sudden to realize was a little scary and she grabbed onto Jemma’s hand a little tighter than she probably should have.

“I haven’t even really been telling her why I was going to the beach…I’ve kept you as much of a secret as I could…I’m not sure my mom is ready for ‘oh, by the way mom, I’m practically married to a mermaid’…” Skye turned around, a small smile on her face.  Forever was a long time…she was only afraid because she knew humans didn’t very often pull a ‘forever’.  She was fallible, and that’s what scared her the most.  She didn’t want to be.  She wanted to be everything Jemma deserved, and she certainly deserved forever.

“It might be a while before I tell her…I can’t exactly tell everyone I know.  I might be part of your pod now but…you’re still a mermaid.  At least mermaids know people exist.  People don’t even know you exist…and I’m not sure I want to know what would happen if they found out.”

"You're right." Jemma said, only a little sadly. She would have liked to meet Skye's mother, but it didn't look like she would be able to, at least not for a while. It was understandable. The pod didn't have rules against communicating with people for no reason, they really were dangerous. Jemma had just gotten lucky with Skye.

When Jemma looked around again, she noted by the grayness of the sky that it was getting close to evening. She didn't want to have to leave soon, but staying late wasn't an option. If she got back in the water when it was dark and she was still injured, the sharks would track her down in no time.

"If I stay here tonight, will you?" Jemma asked. She knew it was a lot to ask, but she would much rather spend her night here with Skye than back in the caves, under the watchful eyes and questions of her family.

"R-really?!" Skye jumped, wide eyed and excited before she coughed and her grin grew a little more appropriate, "I-I mean yes...yes of course.  I would love that..." She squeezed Jemma's hand tightly and continued to smile.  It would be their first night together, and after such a big decision and commitment today, Skye thought it was well deserved.

"I Uhm...I didn't bring anything to be able to really stay...I could go home and get some things? That could make us more comfortable? Would that be ok?"  She would go and come right back.  Jemma wouldn't have to be alone long but Skye knew if she stayed in just what she had, she might freeze over night.

"Yes, absolutely." Jemma shifted away from Skye slightly so she'd be able to get up. She knew it wouldn't take very long for Skye to make the trip, since she'd made it herself before. Everything would be fine for a few minutes while Skye was gone.

"Don't forget this." Jemma grabbed Skye's shirt from the sand and handed it to her. It was bloody now and quite a mess, but Jemma remembered how much more humans covered up in public and it was what Skye had come in.

Skye cringed a little when she looked at the shirt.  At this point she was probably certain she would get less stares if she just left in her bra than if she rode back home through town with a bloody shirt, but she took it anyway and put it back on.  She would definitely have to change.  

She got up and grabbed her bag, brushing herself off before turning to make sure Jemma was comfortable.  "I'll be back soon, I swear.  It should only take me a couple of minutes," she leaned over then and slid one hand over Jemma's cheek and held it gently, pulling her just a little bit before Skye met her with a kiss.

She grinned after and stood up again, "And if my bag doesn't come over that wall first you need to hide.  I don't want anything happening to you..." It made her nervous to know she was leaving before Jemma.  She always watched her swim away, so she knew she was relatively safe, but this was different.

"I'll be just fine." Jemma promised, though she was secretly still a little worried. If someone did decide to come other than Skye, there was no way she would be able to drag herself back into the water in time to hide, but she wasn't going to tell Skye this. Of course no one else would come, no one ever did.

She waited eagerly for Skye to return, and it felt like much longer than usual. This was probably just because she was so anxious out in the open when Skye wasn't there. Each minute felt like an hour and the time drew on for what seemed like forever.

The sky had darkened considerably, even though it had only been about half an hour, before Jemma finally saw Skye's bag slung over the rocks. Jemma's face instantly brightened with a smile. She was so excited to spend the night here on the beach with Skye, it would be like an extension of their already wonderful days. Plus, they were partners now, and that made everything so much better, to know that it was all permanent.

After Skye's regular bag, came another much larger bag over the wall and landed heavily in the sand with a loud thud.  She would see Skye's flashlight from the other side flicker off before she scrambled up and over the rock and hoisted the two bags down closer to shore.

"I tried to hurry," Skye said with a smile and opened up the big bag.  She pulled out a large quilt and laid it on the sand.  

"Do you think you can get up here? We have to stay out of reach of high tide...I'd probably have a heart attack if I woke up and was in the water," she chuckled, "I can help you if you want?"  Skye knew she was no weight lifter, but she felt she could probably manage if Jemma needed the extra help because of her shoulder, which she had brought a first aid kit to take better care of.

She pulled out another blanket too, and a thermos which she set on the blanket along with her normal bag that was full of snacks and the first aid.   "I brought some things for you to try too, since I know at least I'll get hungry.  Couldn't really bring all of this and dinner too. Oh and I brought you a sweater if you get cold...don't uhm, don't really have anything for the tail, sorry," she chuckled and walked back towards Jemma once she was done setting up.  She was in longer pants and a sweater as well now too, her hair still in a small messy ponytail at the back of her head.

"I can't wait to try everything." Jemma gave Skye a grateful smile, just like always. She honestly felt like the luckiest mermaid alive, Skye was just so... perfect.

"And yes, a little help would be great." Jemma said with a laugh. It took a little time and some very awkward help from Skye to maneuver herself onto shore a little further and onto the quilt, but she managed. It was soft and warm and Jemma found she liked it already. She finally settled down next to Skye, the both of them still sitting upright on the blanket.

"I don't really like these, is it ok if I take them off?" Jemma asked, already trying to peel one of the band-aids off of her shoulder with her fingernail. Even though they had helped with the bleeding before, now they were uncomfortable, and there were so many of them.

"Yeah, yeah of course," Skye smiled, quickly rummaging around in her bag for the things she had brought.  The first aid kit finally fell out and Skye grabbed it up.

"Stop picking at it.  Just give me a second," she laughed and swatted Jemma's hand away so she wouldn't accidentally scratch one of the wounds back open.  She pulled everything she would need out and dumped it onto the quilt, finally turning her attention back to Jemma before she looked at all the Band-Aids.  It had been...well, she had used a lot.  
Skye had been in such a panic about her bleeding she hadn't really thought all of this through.  "Oh...so uh, there may be...a uhm...a slight problem," she started, laying a gentle hand on Jemma's shoulder, "Band-Aids...uhm these things on your bite, they're really sticky see and..." She fiddled with the edge of one lightly, "uhm, they sort of hurt sometimes when you take them off...so it's best to do it fast.  J-just rip it off..." Right when she said it, she let the first bandaid come jerking off in a flash.  The bite was fine, but Skye knew it had hurt by the look on Jemma's face.

"I'm so sorry!  It's worse when you anticipate it, trust me.  I'm really sorry...but uh...hey, only eight more to go?" She gave an apologetic grin and proceeded with the rest, apologizing and giving her a gentle kiss here and there as each one came off.

Then came the sterilizing agent, and Skye had to apologize for the sting of that too, but finally she got antibiotic on each bite mark and was able to wrap it up in some gauze and pin it up.  "This won't be as sticky and hurt to take off but it might not be any less annoying...I'm sorry.  I just...this should help it to heal faster. I don't think it'll do great in water though...so I uh, I can take it off tomorrow before you leave."

"Humans are terrible at first aid." Jemma complained, still pouting. The removal of the bandaids and whatever Skye had put on her wounds had almost hurt as much as the aching and stinging of the wound itself.

"Why would people even make that, bandages that hurt? It doesn't make any sense." Jemma sighed and decided to lean into her partner instead of continuing to focus on the pain.

Jemma had to admit that it was chilly out and that she was getting cold. It was much warmer under the ocean and in the caves at night than it was on shore, where the air was still sharp and there wasn't extra heat under the ground. She dug the extra sweater out of Skye's bag and pulled it over her head, though she needed a hand to get the piece of clothing over the one side of her body.

"Thank you, though. Despite the ridiculous human supplies, I appreciate your help. And the way you're staying here with me tonight." Jemma's tone was light and joking, but it fell a little more towards the serious side near the end. Skye was an amazing person to have in her life, and Jemma was so glad she'd decided to save her life that night, the one that seemed like it was ages ago but was still fresh in her mind.

"Are you kidding?  You don't have to thank me, Jemma.  I would do this every night if you asked me to...although I feel like you would be better off stealing some more of that potion.  Once you've slept on _my_ mattress you won't want to sleep on anything else," Skye chuckled and leaned against the mermaid lightly, blushing a little in the dark and a stupid silly grin on her face that the girl was wearing her sweater.  A mermaid in a sweater.  What a sight.

"I want to spend every night with you...I hate it when you have to leave.  I wish I could stay with you every night...although on land might be better.  I really think you make a better human than I would a mermaid.  I'm not sure a mermaid afraid of water would work out very well..." She shivered and decided to take her hands from Jemma for a moment to grab for the thermos.  Skye screwed the lid open and poured some of whatever it was into a cup and took a sip.  She made a little satisfied sound and suddenly her insides felt warm again, even if her outside were cold.

"Here, try some of this.  It's hot chocolate.  I can't really describe it.  It's sweet...and tastes really good and it's warm.". She handed the half full cup to Jemma now and waited patiently.

"Even if you could swim, I don't think you could hold your breath for long enough to get into the caves." Jemma chuckled, not even able to imagine Skye down there with her pod. Maybe she could introduce her eventually, though, but they'd all have to come here. That truly would be a sight.

Just like Skye, Jemma copied her movements and brought the cup up to her lips, taking a small sip, and then a second one when the taste actually registered and the warm fluid ran down her throat.

"This is amazing." Jemma told her. She had to admit, humans had the food and drink thing down pat. They had so many options, unlike the mermaids under the sea.

Skye smiled, glad that Jemma liked the warm drink, letting her have the rest of that cup as she grabbed hold of the other blanket and wrapped it around them.  She didn't bring any pillows but she figured the sand would be soft enough to be bearable.

It was getting significantly darker, and without all the lights from the city lighting up the sky, the brunette could see more of the stars and it made her stare in awe.  She hadn't been out here this late before except when she had come after Ward had beaten her up after the soccer game.  It seemed a far off time now.  So many things were different, for the better of course.  

"Well...you've got me all night.  What do you want to do?  Are you tired yet?  You can sleep if you want too."

"I wish we could actually keep each other's company, but I am quite exhausted." Jemma sighed, handing Skye the cup once she was finished and snuggling against her under the fuzzy blanket. Whatever the shaman had given her felt like it was still in effect, and the ten mile swim while she was injured hadn't helped any. Her eyes had been begging to fall shut since she'd gotten here, and now she was finally going to let them.

Jemma slowly readjusted and laid down on her good side, and when Skye followed Jemma nuzzled her face into Skye's neck and rested her arm across her stomach.   
"I love you." Jemma mumbled, following the human tradition and lightly kissing Skye's cheek before settling in again.

Skye was practically stunned into silence.  Her face flushed and suddenly she felt very warm, all over.  It made her feel awake.  It made her feel alive.  It also made her nervous.  This was serious, and Skye had never felt quite this strongly for anyone.  She was practically married. They were together and although Skye knew she loved her, it would literally seal the deal.  She was anxious to say it back, and yet afraid.  

Her previous thoughts came back into play.  What if she couldn't handle it?  What if something happened?  People rarely made anything forever, even when they said they it was.  What if she was a disappointment?  What if she fell short of Jemma's expectations?  God forbid what if something happened to either one of them?  Skye wasn't sure how long mermaids lived, but she knew humans didn't live long in comparison to legends she had heard about other mythical things.  Was she depriving Jemma of an actual forever when humans were so very, very mortal?

And if something did happen, on land, no one would know to tell her.  No one should know to come here and tell Jemma what had happened to her.  Jemma would just keep coming back again and again and Skye wouldn't be there.  Would she think something had happened or would she think Skye had changed her mind?  Would she think she had left her on purpose?  She was stiff, laying there all of a sudden, staring up at all the stars and her mind going over and finding every possible thing that could happen and go wrong.

By the time she managed to whisper a soft, "you too", the mermaid next to her was already asleep.  Skye was glad that Jemma didn't seem to be having any of these concerns...but Skye knew they were there and that they were real.  She certainly didn't want to hurt Jemma and she knew she would never do it on purpose...but accidents did happen, and Skye knew she couldn't prevent all of them.  She didn't know when, but eventually she had fallen asleep, holding the mermaid close and tucked warm and snug under their blanket.


	9. Swimming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it took so long for this one guys! Thank you for all the kudos and comments! I DO see you, I promise, and i love you all!!

Bobbi, along with the rest of the pod, was panicking. It had gotten later and later and still Jemma hadn't returned like she'd asked her to. What if something had happened? The sharks could have found her, or any number of terrible things could have happened. She shouldn't have let her go in the first place.

The whole pod was worried, and everyone of age gathered in the water just outside the caves before nightfall. It took quite a bit of debating, many of them wanted to send someone to search for Jemma now, but many argued that it would only endanger more of them to send anyone out at night. In the end, it was still the choice of their pod leader, May, to make the decision. Even though she loved Jemma, May was logical, so Bobbi knew she wouldn't be getting permission to search for her sister until morning.

When the sun did rise, Bobbi was the first one up, having been selected as the mermaid to find Jemma. She knew the whole area the best, having mapped it, and she was a fast swimmer. She also spent the most time with Jemma, so if anyone would know where she was, it was Bobbi.

Bobbi stared at the map she and Jemma had made, trying to hold herself together. She was sick with worry, she wouldn't be able to live with herself if something had happened to Jemma after Bobbi had been the one to let her go the previous day.

As her eyes scanned over the map, they landed on one particular spot. The edge. Jemma was smart, Bobbi knew this. If she had gone to see Skye and it had gotten late, she was smart enough not to get back in the water. Spending the night on shore was horrifically dangerous, though, so it didn't ease any of her worry.

Bobbi took off at top speed, making the ten miles to where she knew Skye seemed to always appear in less than twenty minutes. When she did arrive at her destination, Bobbi's head broke the surface of the water, but only behind the same rock as before. When she did reveal herself, she was surprised, though she didn't know what she had been expecting. Skye was there, and Jemma was there. They were together. This hadn't been the surprise, though, it was the fact that Jemma was currently asleep, her head on Skye's shoulder and chest.

Bobbi was so amazed that Jemma trusted a human enough to let herself be so vulnerable like that, but she was even more impressed that a human was being so kind. Skye looked like she was holding Jemma so gently, protecting her from the world around them.

Maybe she had been wrong. Maybe not all humans were horrible beings. As far as Bobbi could tell, they'd been seeing each other for more than a full moon, and Skye still had yet to hurt her. Bobbi didn't know what had upset Jemma so much the night she'd gotten bitten by a shark, but it didn't look like it was an issue now.

If she wasn't mistaken, Bobbi was actually beginning to feel a little respect towards Skye. The human had managed to make Jemma attached to her, so she had to he a good person.

Bobbi slowly sank back under the water, not wanting to disturb either of them. She could tell the pod that she found Jemma and that she was fine, since it was the truth.

 

____________

  
  


The wind was starting to get warm again as the sun came up, and in her sweater and pressed up so close against Jemma, Skye was starting to get hot.  Between this and the seagulls now flying about and squawking everywhere and so loud, she woke up.  It wasn't necessarily a gentle, slow awakening...more like she had forgotten where she was and was worried why she was on the beach.  She moved to sit up, when she felt a weight on her chest and she stopped.  

Skye looked down and Jemma was there, still sound asleep.  It made her smile and as gently as she could, she rested back down, not wanting to disturb the mermaid.  She was hungry,and her stomach growled, making her cringe and hope that Jemma hadn't heard it.  She had forgotten to eat last night, having settled down with the mermaid and then been so taken aback by the 'I love you'.  Her heart swelled at remembering, and her hand instinctively now reached up and touched the scale on her necklace.  They were together now...or at least it would be official official when Skye made something of importance for her in a similar fashion.  She still didn't know what to do, but she did know Jemma would love whatever she gave her.  

She also wasn't sure what time it was.  She knew she had class in the mornings, but her phone had died overnight and she didn't want to leave the mermaid until she woke up and Skye knew she felt well enough to swim.  She also wanted to look at her wounds again before she left to make sure it wouldn't attract any sharks.  So now, instead of letting herself worry more, she shifted slightly closer and wrapped both of her arms around the mermaid, one hand holding her back and around her shoulders and another at her waist, absentmindedly rubbing small circles on her scales.

A pleased little noise slipped out of Jemma's lips before she even realized she was awake. She did open her eyes to a pleasant surprise, though. Skye's hands on her tail and her back made her shiver in delight and press herself even more tightly against her.

"Good morning." Jemma sighed happily, breathing in Skye's scent. She wanted to stay like this forever, but she knew Skye probably had places to be, and they could do this any time. The pain from her back and shoulder had dissipated overnight, so Jemma sat up slightly and held her weight on her elbows, just laying on her stomach and looking at Skye's face with a small smile on her own.

"I feel a lot better now." Jemma told her happily, moving her shoulders slightly to show her. "How did you sleep?"

"I slept fine," Skye smiled and sat up too, propping herself up on her elbows as well, her back only a little off the blanket since she seemed to sink some in the sand when she pushed against it.  "Did you sleep alright?  You were super tired..." She chuckled.  Once Skye had said they could sleep, Jemma had practically drifted off right then.  The day before had been a big ordeal for her, so she couldn't blame her.

She was very glad too that Jemma was feeling better.  She had hated the sight of her in pain and bleeding when Skye had first seen her the day before.  She had practically had a heart attack. She wanted to lay here longer with Jemma, but she knew they both probably had things to be doing.  They had both stayed out all night, which might be common for Skye, but she knew it wasn't for Jemma.  She was surprised Bobbi hadn't come to harass her to let her sister go yet.  Well, Jemma had some news for her.

"I don't want to get up..." She complained and rolled over onto her side to get closer.  Skye hesitated a second, but she leaned over and gave the mermaid a gentle kiss before pulling away, looking a little embarrassed.  She wanted more of that too, but they had plenty of time for that later, just not right now.

"That's uhm...that's a good morning kiss.  It's a thing..."

"Is it now?" Jemma chuckled at the embarrassed look on Skye's face. "Well, if it's a thing..." Jemma grinned and leaned in a second time, pressing her lips up against her partner's. It was sweet and lasted a few seconds longer. Jemma thought she was getting better at this, if Skye's face had anything to say about it. She was all red and flushed and it was adorable.

"As much as staying here forever would be nice, I should get back to the pod and let them know I haven't been eaten by sharks." Jemma joked. "And don't you have class?" She asked.

The artist was fairly certain she would never be able to get over kissing her.  She had kissed other people before and she supposed she had enjoyed it, but this blew everything out of the water.  This was better by a long shot and honestly, Skye hoped she never got used to it.  She wanted it to feel this amazing every time.

Jemma spoke the truth though, and Skye's embarrassed face fell into a small frown, "Yeah...I do." It came out like a grumble as she eyeballed the blanket.  Her eyes lifted back up to Jemma then, looking sad, "Guess we have to get up then...I'd rather just stay here though.  Who really needs to learn about the French Revolution?   Certainly not me," she chuckled, but forced herself to sit up all the way.  She was a sandy mess.  The blanket had helped, but sand would always, without a doubt, get everywhere she didn't want it.  She would have to hurry too, since she didn't know the time.

Jemma finally managed to peel herself away from Skye, and she laughed at her joke even though she had no idea what the French Revolution was. It felt odd now to be in the sweater, and now that the sun was about to start beating down on them, she figured it was time to take it off, even if it did smell wonderfully like Skye.

It was easier this time, Jemma managed to pull the sweater over her head with ease now that her injury was probably no longer an injury. Mermaids healed pretty quickly, and whatever magical something the shaman could have added to her medicine the day before would have helped too.

Skye was already trying to shove everything back into her bag.  She could shake the sand out at her house after class.  When Jemma took off the sweater, she shoved that in too, before taking her own off and putting it in as well.  She had a white T-shirt on underneath, and when she pulled her sweatpants off she had some jogging shorts under there as well.  She was practically ready for school, all she had to do was drop by her house and pick up her bookbag and drop these bags off.  

She shook out her hair before pulling it back up and finally turned to Jemma, seeing the bandages.

"Here, let me check to make sure you're alright.  You can tell me you are but I'm not gonna believe unless I see," she emphasized the last word and knelt down next to Jemma, undoing the gauze she had wrapped the night before and took away the padding only to be confused when she saw no wounds at all, only a series of small scars where the punctures had been.

"Uh...uhm...you're uhm...what?  You're all better?  What kind of mermaid voodoo is this?  You're like the Wolverine or something?" She realized then Jemma wouldn't get the reference and she sighed, "Is this more magic stuff I don't know about?!"

Jemma smiled at Skye's amazement, it was like she was finally seeing how she acted herself most of the time. She hadn't really explained a lot of it, so she might as well now, if Skye was curious.

"Well, every pod has a shaman. They do all kinds of magic, like making that potion I used to go on land the other day. They're also our healers, since magic is a lot more effective." Jemma explained in the simplest way possible. The look on Skye's face was priceless, and Jemma wondered if that's how she looked most of the time.

"He put a solution on the wounds the night it happened, and apparently it just took effect last night. He used the weak stuff on me, the more powerful, fast-acting ones are saved for life or death emergencies."

"Well...that's awesome.  I mean at least you have stuff like that...we have doctors but they don't use magic.  People would probably like it better if we did..." She didn't know how to explain doctors and what they did, so she didn't try to. She just told that they were sort of like shamans.  It sounded like if magic was involved, mermaids couldn't really die.  People died all the time because they didn't have proper care.

"I'm glad you're ok then...I can worry about you a little less," Skye rubbed a finger over the marks before pulling away and packing the rest of her things.

"I really need to go now, Jems...I'm gonna be late, if I'm not already..." Skye said, but she was still hesitant to leave her.  She didn't want to, not ever.

"I know. You better hurry." Jemma told her. She would rather Skye never left as well, but they both had things to do at the moment and it wasn't like they would never see each other again.

Jemma slid off the quilt so Skye could pack that up too, and she tried not to feel disappointed when Skye was ready to go. She really shouldn't have been, it would probably only be a few hours until they saw each other again.

"When the sun is high?" Jemma asked with a laugh and a hopeful smile as she slid back down to the water's edge. It was almost strange to feel the waves lap against her tail again when she'd been so dry. She knew Skye liked to see her swim away first, so she was ready whenever Skye was.

"Yeah, definitely," Skye smiled and packed up the bags, slinging her satchel over her shoulder.  She turned to watch to make sure Jemma left alright, waving to her before she left.  Once Skye felt satisfied she hurried to the rock wall and got up and over it as quick as she ever had.  She had to sprint down the beach and then pedal at top speed to her house.  

She ignored her mother as she rushed up the stairs, and dodged her questions as she rushed back down, bookbag in hand, and pretended not to hear her mother call for her as she got back onto her bike and pedaled away, leaving her with only an "I'M LATE!!" as an answer.

She was, of course, late to history, and Ward noticed, but she slipped in and took her seat, looking a hot mess.  She had spent the night on a beach after all and hadn't gotten to do any of her regular morning rituals.  The teacher unfortunately took notice as well and called her out on it which made her face go red.

It had all definitely been worth it though and as she opened her notebook to take notes she found herself drawing out ideas for a return gift for Jemma that would be the symbol of her eternal love.  No pressure at all to make it perfect...sarcasm of course, because she felt a lot of pressure to make it perfect.  It had to be waterproof, it had to be special, it had to be as beautiful as Jemma, and it had to mean something.

She could see Ward eyeballing her from her desk and so she slowly shifted till her free arm was shielding the paper from his view.  She was so enthralled with it that she didn't notice class was over until a big hand slammed down on her drawing.

"Whatcha doing there, Johnson?  Miss me yet?" Ward was looking down on her with that smug smile she hated.  

"No, and none of your business," she shoved his hand away and shut her notebook quickly, standing up to find only that he didn't move and he was much too close to her for her liking, leaning over her.

"Move Ward, you're going to make me late," she shoved past him, annoyed and also afraid.  Since she had stopped being 'friends' with him, he hadn't exactly been nice...not that he was nice before.

"As I recall...you were already late.  And you missed yesterday.  You never miss...I think you're up to something.  Seeing that cute friend of yours?  She give you that necklace?  You two best pals now...or more than best pals?  Benefits kinda pals?  See Johnson, if I wasn't such a good friend, I might try and get some of that for myse-"

"Back the fuck off, Ward!" Skye shoved past him and grabbed her bookbag, slinging it over her shoulder, and stormed out of the classroom.

He had no business asking her about her life.  He had no right.  He especially had no right to ask about Jemma and it nearly set her on fire to think on what he had almost said.  If Jemma was ever on land again, and he touched her, she'd kill him.  Without hesitation she would take her bare hands and strangle the shit out of him.  Skye was so worked up she didn't notice her bag was lighter than normal.

 

____________

 

Jemma didn't have to rush as much as Skye to get home, though she didn't take her sweet time either. She knew her pod would be worried, she was actually surprised they hadn't sent Bobbi to hunt her down sooner.

"Thank Hygieia you're all right." Bobbi caught Jemma in a hug the moment she reached the edge of the caves. Bobbi knew her sister wouldn't particularly appreciate the spying she'd done, so she was just going to pretend as if she hadn't seen anything at all.

"I'm perfectly fine." Jemma chuckled and returned the quick hug, also having to move on to assure several other mermaids and mermen that had been concerned about her that she was alright.

Bobbi would have been lying to say she had been expecting Jemma to be at least a little more upset than this. She'd been bitten by a shark and even after that she'd seemed like something huge was bothering her, but she looked like she could literally light up the cave with her smile. It was a complete change from the last time she'd seen her, but Bobbi couldn't quite pinpoint what seemed different about her.

Even though Jemma insisted she was fine, May still ordered her to stay in the cave for a little while and basically assigned Bobbi as her babysitter, which wasn't new. Jemma was a little old for this, she had to admit, but the whole pod knew she was sometimes too curious for her own good.

"What are you so smiley about?" Bobbi finally asked with a laugh after nearly an hour of them working on little details of the map on the wall. Not once during the whole thing was Jemma not smiling, and it made Bobbi curious.

"It's nothing, really." Jemma said, but she was still smiling. If Bobbi didn't know any better she would have thought her face had gotten stuck. There really was no explanation for her sudden burst of happiness. Yes, she'd seen Skye, but as far as Bobbi could tell she'd seen Skye every day. So what was different?

Bobbi's eyes searched over all of Jemma, mostly focussing on the pouch at her waist. For some reason it looked like there was more inside than before she met Skye, and it made Bobbi want to look at the contents, though she would never invade Jemma's personal space like that.

There was one tiny detail though, and if Bobbi hadn't been staring at the pouch she wouldn't have seen it in the first place. There was one spot on her tail where there should have been a scale, but there was only a partial one. It was growing back. That couldn't have been from the shark, could it? It wouldn't have been just one scale. When the realization finally hit her, Bobbi gasped.

"Jemma..." She practically whispered, not taking her eyes off the small spot on her tail.  
Jemma froze. Just by the tone in Bobbi's voice she just knew she knew somehow. When she turned to face her, Jemma followed Bobbi's line of sight with her own and realized what she was staring at.

"I...have a partner?" Jemma said, shrugging. She didn't really know how Bobbi was going to take this and her words came out nervously. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out just who Jemma's partner was. She hadn't taken a particular liking to any of the mermen- or even the mermaids, as that was accepted, though not common- and she spent all her free time with Skye.

"You didn't." Bobbi was in denial, clearly. There was nothing Jemma could really do but wait for the information to sink in. When it did, she saw the look in Bobbi's eye that meant she was very upset and Jemma was about to have it laid on her.

"I can't believe this." Bobbi groaned, massaging her temples with the thumb and middle fingers of one hand. "You can't partner up with a human!" Bobbi started, and Jemma knew she was in for it. "Well, you can, there wasn't a clearly stated rule about it, but that doesn't make it right!"

"Why not? I love Skye and she loves me, it's no different than my mum and dad, May and Coulson, or any other partner here." Jemma tried to make Bobbi feel better about this, but there was really no way to explain the way she felt about Skye or how it was possible.

"Even if that's true, and I'm not saying it is, it can't work!" Bobbi started. She'd definitely lost what little respect she had for Skye now. She wasn't sure Skye was aware of what this meant. The two of them were bound for life, and if something happened to either of them they wouldn't even have anyone ever again. That was it. For Jemma to choose such a liability as a partner... It was crazy. "You can't live together, you can't stay on land and she can't stay down here. And what are you going to do when we migrate? Bring her with us? You know as well as I do that we don't stay in one place forever."

Jemma hadn't thought about some of the things Bobbi was saying beforehand, things had just happened. She still couldn't find herself regretting it, but she was concerned about the things Bobbi was pointing out. All Jemma could ever give Skye was afternoons and evenings, and not even all the time, since pods migrated, sometimes moving away from their previous places of residence for months, years, sometimes never even coming back at all. What would she do if her pod decided to leave?

"What happens when someone besides me inevitably finds out about you two? You could be banished, and that's only merpeople! I know you trust Skye, but if another human found out on accident, you could be caged, prodded with, and even though it sounds ridiculous, harpooned, or something similar." Bobbi made several good points, points that made Jemma bow her head as Bobbi continued to speak. Still, she didn't regret any of it.

"I didn't choose my partner on technicalities or for convenience, Bobbi." Jemma told her, her voice cracking slightly. "I chose Skye because I love her more than I love anyone else, and that's what partners are." With that, Jemma slipped into the water and began the swim back to the beach, trusting Bobbi not to say anything about this to the rest of the pod. She had to do it at the right time and it had to come from her, if she was going to tell them.

 

_______________________

 

Skye spent the rest of her classes brooding and when at last she finally got out, she hurried home in an effort to avoid Ward.  She took a quick shower so she would at least smell a little less rustic for Jemma and put on her usual now that all of her bruises had faded.

She felt in the mood to draw Jemma today, like she did every day, but today felt extra special because now they were partners.  Skye was hesitant to say girlfriends because it was more permanent than that.  They weren't exactly married either, because that was a human concept, and she liked Jemma's word.  Just...she couldn't find her sketchbook for anything.  She searched everywhere and finally when she realized she was already late, she left the house without it.

So she had to run once she got to the beach, lest Jemma start to panic.  She tossed her bag and then soon followed, landing on the other side of the wall and didn't even look for a rock tower before she was already calling out Jemma's name, a huge smile on her face.  She was a little peeved she hadn't found her one free sketchbook but she had so many she probably just misplaced it. She did want to see what Jemma thought of the drawings she had done of her ideas for her gift, to see which one she liked the best, but she had left it in her rush to get here.  It would just have to be a surprise.

Skye was already stripping off her shirt, revealing the bikini top, glad now that she could do this again since her bruises were gone.  She was sure Jemma would appreciate it just as much as she did.

"Skye." Jemma grinned and slipped out from behind her rock, pulling up onto the shore and laying on her stomach like she had the first day they met. She was still a little down from Bobbi's verbal scolding, but meeting up with Skye again wiped away all of that. There was a little debate going on her her head, though, it didn't really affect her, at least not yet. She'd much rather enjoy her time with Skye when they were both happy.

Instead, Jemma had a surprise planned, though she wasn't sure Skye would exactly like it, at least not at first. She wouldn't be offended if Skye didn't want to try it, either, since it was in the water. It was lucky that today had been the day Skye had decided to wear a swimsuit again, not just for the sake of Jemma's eyes.

"I have a surprise for you if you're willing to go out of your comfort zone just a little bit." Jemma told her, holding up two fingers only an inch apart to try to show her how little it was. Maybe that was lying. Jemma widened her fingers quite a bit more and gave Skye an apologetic shrug.

“Uh…that doesn’t really look like a little, Jems,” Skye laughed and slid out of her shorts and left her shoes in the sand before she walked down closer to the water…which Jemma was still in a little bit.  Skye found this only a little odd.  Normally she was all the way up by now but it was hot out so maybe she was just trying to keep cool.

“Do I really want to know what it is?  That’s an awful wide space between those fingers…” She chuckled and knelt down in front of Jemma, probably giving her a bit of a nice view as she did before leaning forward, a lot less hesitant this time, and pressed her lips against Jemma’s for longer than she had this morning.  When she pulled away, she was grinning, “And that was just because I missed you…it’s a thing.”

"Mhm... I'm sure it is." Jemma chuckled, cupping Skye's cheek with one hand like Skye had done to her before and kissing her again. This was definitely a perk to having a partner that was human, what mermaid would do this? Jemma nuzzled their noses together a little bit before finally pulling away, a slightly mischievous grin on her face.   
"So will you keep an open mind?" Jemma asked, trying to think of the best way to convince Skye to get in the water. "I want to show you something really great, but you have to get in the water." There really wasn't an wasn't an easy way to tell Skye this, she just really wanted to share this with her and hoped Skye would be able to overcome her fear, at least a little bit.   
"I'll be holding onto you the whole time, just like when I saved you the second time." Jemma assured her. "And you don't have to go underwater." She added, just for extra measure. Skye had explained the concept of puppy eyes to Jemma before, so she used her knowledge, tilting her head slightly and doing exactly what Skye had pointed out, trying to look as adorable and similar to a cute baby animal as possible.   
Skye looked skeptical, and that was putting it lightly.  Her face didn’t really get any better either when Jemma mentioned she didn’t even have to go under water.  If anything covering the top of her foot, she tended to freak out about it.  Of course a shower was a different story, but that and drinking it were really the only two ways Skye was going to actively take part in water.  It was a relief to know that Jemma would be holding her.  She was a mermaid…so obviously an excellent swimmer, but still.

She drew back a little, still frowning, looking past Jemma and out at the water.  “I…I uhm…” She couldn’t really form words.  The mermaid looked so cute, and Skye knew she was using what she had taught her to her advantage of course.  She hated to say no to Jemma but she was too afraid of water to even think about it.  If she couldn’t get in more than an inch how was she supposed to get deep enough that Jemma had to hold her to keep her safe?

Jemma had come up on land, but that’s because she was curious.  Skye was not.  She was not at all that curious enough to just go, jump in, and see.  In her nervous stuttering and looking into Jemma’s eyes a half strangled, “sure” came out, which suddenly horrified her and she was practically frozen there on the beach, unable to retract her statement because of the excited face Jemma suddenly had.

Jemma's face did light up. Even though Skye didn't look so sure of herself, she was so glad that she was at least going to try it. Maybe what she had to show her would be worth it, she hoped at least.

"I promise you'll be fine. It'll be just like the ferris wheel, but switched. You've been on the ride a bunch of times and know it's safe, and I can assure the same thing for you." Jemma held out a hand for Skye, who looked terrified, honestly. Jemma appreciated her doing this and she was going to make sure Skye was perfectly safe. "You can hold onto me as tightly as you need to." Jemma told her.

“Y-yeah?  I-I may s-strangle you…o-on accident of course,” Skye gave a nervous smile as she took Jemma’s hand and slowly took some steps into the water.  It took her a moment to move beyond that, her mind and body battling between running back and going deeper.   With Jemma guiding her, she settled on going deeper and the second the water got to mid-calf, Skye was gripping Jemma’s hand tightly.  She couldn’t bring herself to move further, so she let Jemma pull her in, and soon enough Skye was deep enough that she was alternating between breathing too heavy and too quickly, and not breathing at all, arms wrapped securely around Jemma’s neck and shaking in the water.

“S-So much f-fun…” it was sarcasm of course, which Skye had explained to Jemma before.  Her legs were trying to wrap around the mermaid’s waist in the water too.  She didn’t want her feet touching the bottom, feeling around to get messed with whatever could be down there in the sand.  If she couldn’t see them, she wanted them up.

“So…s-so what's my surprise, huh?  A heart attack?  Because y-you’re doing a damn fine job…”

Jemma just smiled assuringly and kept one arm wrapped around Skye's waist to help hold her up, though Skye was doing a sufficient job of it on her own, the human girl was clinging to her like a starfish. Jemma had to admit that she was not opposed to all of Skye's warm skin against hers, so she held onto her tightly.

Once Jemma was far enough into the water that her own tail didn't touch the ocean floor, she stopped and made sure to tread water and keep Skye's head and shoulders above the surface. Instead of answering Skye in English, she let out a call that sounded distinctly more high pitched and dolphin-like than the usual language of the merpeople.

It took less than a few minutes for Jemma to hear a nearby return cry, and even less time for a dark shape to slowly rise up in front of them. She could feel Skye tense, probably thinking a shark was about to snatch them up, but Jemma knew better. It was a long, thin, grey snout that poked out of the water, and soon the entire dolphin's head shot up, only a few inches from the odd pair. It squawked and made several series of clicks, and Jemma laughed as it nudged her with its nose.

A little click from Jemma soon had it calming down, and it floated there with a content look on its face as Jemma reached out and rested her hand between its eyes, rubbing gently.

"This is Fitz. He's part of a pod of dolphins nearby. Go on, you can pet him." Jemma grinned and watched Skye's face, trying to gauge her reaction.

“I-I’m not su-sure I want to pet him…” Skye mumbled, still holding tightly onto Jemma, but looking at the dolphin with significantly less fear than she would have had it been a shark.  It didn’t quite make her forget about the water, but she was now slightly curious…just not quite curious enough to remove her hand from the mermaid holding her up and keeping her from drowning.

With a little more encouraging, and a tighter grasp on her from Jemma, Skye steadily and very very slowly reached out her hand and lightly touched the slick feeling animal a couple of times before withdrawing her hand with much more speed, putting it back around Jemma’s neck.

“It’s c-cool you can talk to d-dolphins.  Y-you’re practically A-Aqua Man…”  Skye tried to laugh at her own superhero reference but it didn’t really work, coming out more of a nervous laugh still that faded a little too quickly.

"I have no idea what that means." Jemma laughed. "But yes, it is 'cool' that I can talk to dolphins. Not all of us can." Jemma explained. She was still focussed on how Skye was holding onto her for dear life, it was almost a funny perk of her being in the water actually.   
Jemma made a few more noises and had the dolphin play around for Skye to watch, jumping in and out of the water and doing what sort of looked like dancing backwards on top of it.

Skye seemed to watch with interest, but Jemma could also tell that she very much wanted to be back on the sand. She was grateful for what little time she'd gotten Skye in the water, and that Skye trusted her enough to let her bring her out this far.

"Okay, let's get you back to shore, Starfish." Jemma joked. It was a short but slow swim back, and Jemma had to finally let go of Skye when they were too close for Jemma to actually swim anymore.

The terrified artist managed to give Jemma a quick kiss on the cheek before scrambling up into the sand, soaked and without a towel, since she certainly hadn’t been expecting to get wet.  She sat up on the dry sand, eyeing Jemma with a smile, “Your friend is nice…I’m sorry.  I told you I was useless in the water…” She gave an apologetic smile, but was starting to calm down now that she could feel the warm sand under her toes.

She held out her hand then, motioning for Jemma to come back up with her.  Even though she had hated the water for the most part, she had enjoyed being pressed up against the mermaid, and maybe, she might just get some of that out of the water too.  “Do you have any more panic inducing surprises for me, hmm?”

"Not that I can think of right away..." Jemma played along, dragging herself up onto shore like always to be next to Skye. They were both coated in sand now that they were wet, it stuck to any part of them that touched the ground, which for Jemma was quite a bit. She pulled Skye into a big hug anyway, half to mess with her and cover her in sand and half just because she wanted to.

"Thank you for at least giving it a shot, even if you felt like you were about to die the whole time." Jemma kissed Skye solidly on the lips once before turning her attention back Fitz, who had started smacking his fin against the water and making a sound that made it seem like he was laughing at them. Jemma replied, and then Fitz was gone, zipping away back to his family like he'd never even come in the first place.

“Mmm…yeah, I’m not really sorry to say that I like this better,” Skye grinned, stealing a quick kiss of her own before she tried to brush off some of the sand that Jemma had gotten onto her by hugging her.  “I’m going to have to get back in just to get all this off…that’s what you wanted wasn’t it?” She joked and finally gave up, sitting back by propping herself up with her hands behind her.  The artist looked down at the mermaid, grinning still, admiring how her tail glistened with the water on it in the sunlight, being reminded again of a colorful galaxy and wishing very much to draw it, only to remember that she couldn’t.  It didn’t seem like a big issue, so she decided not to bring it up.  Her room was a mess and truthfully, her sketchbooks were strewn everywhere.  She could simply have misplaced it.

“Oh, I have a shift at the diner tonight so I can’t stay as long as normal…I’m sorry,” a pout appeared on her lips, but she sat up, changing her position to get closer to Jemma’s tail, which she began to rub a hand along slowly, “I was running late getting back here too, so I didn’t bring anything to show you today, but we can just talk.  How was Bobbi?  Was everyone super worried?”

Jemma's sigh was a mixed one, partially sad that Skye had to go, but also very content when Skye's hand made contact with her scales. No matter how many times it happened, she still couldn't get over the warm, fuzzy feeling it gave her. Skye's mention of Bobbi, however, was the thing that finally did make her let out a sad little sigh. She'd tried to forget about it, but it still made Jemma sad to remember how Bobbi wasn't even the least bit happy for them, she'd just been so negative. The rest of the pod would probably be even worse.

"Bobbi found out about us." Jemma blurted out. It was probably something Skye needed to know, since it was her family now too, and she might as well be prepared if Bobbi were to stop by again when Jemma wasn't here. "She wasn't very happy, and she said some not so great things, but I'm not going to let her get between us, so there really isn't anything to worry about." Jemma said firmly, though it sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

“Oh…” Skye sighed too, rubbing a hand through her hair before she remembered that it was covered in sand.  She gave another exasperated sigh and her other hand stopped rubbing Jemma’s tail, just resting on it lightly, “I guess…I can see how she would feel bad about it.  I mean…we aren’t exactly conventional…at least not by mermaids standards it sounds like.  Certainly not by human ones either…” She picked the rubbing back up, trying to sooth the mermaid and make her feel better.  Skye hated to see her upset, but she was glad that she sounded determined.  She didn’t miss the questioning tone, but Skye hoped that it would soon turn into a definite one.

“I’m not going anywhere though…and surely you can get some more leg potion?  I mean it should sort of be required for you to be allowed to have some since…you know…your partner has legs.  So even if we spend a lot of days on the beach, you could get some that we could go exploring on the island.  I’ll take whatever I can get of you.”

"That sounds amazing, Skye. Truly." Jemma closed her eyes and practically molded into her partner, leaning in against her and resting her head on her shoulder. Skye was right about the pod basically being required to help her keep a supply of that potion. Partnership bonds were probably the most sacred thing in the world to merpeople, so even though there would surely be a lot of skepticism, there wasn't much they'd be able to do about it.  
Jemma was definitely looking forward to more time on land with Skye, when she didn't have to struggle to stay comfortable with her tail while spending time with her. She often found herself wishing that she had been born a human, so that she and Skye could have a normal relationship, but she still didn't think she'd trade what they had for the world. It was special, and Jemma wouldn't ever give it up, not for anything.  
"You should probably get going." Jemma knew that if she didn't urge Skye to go she'd stay here all night and ignore her responsibilities, so even though it pained her to have to go back to the caves and spend the night trying not to argue with Bobbi, she knew she had to convince Skye to go home.

“I’ve got a few more minutes…” Skye smiled and just let herself relax, enjoying the feel of the two of them fitting together like a snug puzzle piece.  “I can make the beach run in eight minutes now, and then biking home will only take five or so, and then a shower may take fifteen to twenty since I’m sandy, and getting dressed maybe ten and then getting to the diner will be five…so…I can stay for like five more minutes,” Skye chuckled.  She would take any excuse to be able to sit here a little longer with Jemma, so the mermaid knew her pretty well.

“And I have a test tomorrow in my last class, so I may be a little late.  My professor likes to put more questions than students can answer in an hour and a half…” Honestly she probably should have studied more for it, so the answers wouldn’t come as quickly to her, and she’d be too anxious and wanting to get to Jemma…Skye sighed, she probably wouldn’t be able to focus.  “I’ll just study tonight after I work and then I can come tomorrow and take a nap with you…how does that sound?”

Jemma laughed at the lengths Skye would go to just to sit here for another five minutes, but on the inside it made her feel so incredibly loved. Skye being late tomorrow would feel a little lonely and disappointing, but she was sure they would make up for it when she did arrive and they could spend a quiet afternoon cuddling and sleeping on the beach.   
They sat quietly for those last five minutes, just holding onto each other and relaxing. They were over too soon, and Jemma finally had to pull away, since Skye didn't seem like she was going to.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Starfish." Jemma quickly kissed the corner of Skye's mouth when she said the new little nickname she was quickly growing fond of using. If she thought about it, humans did sort of look a little bit like starfish, and it made Jemma giggle.

"Goodnight." Before Skye could somehow convince Jemma that she had more time and that she should stay, she slipped into the water, already looking forward to tomorrow afternoon, only a little bit past when the sun was high.


	10. No Light, No Light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long to get up guys! Between the Holidays and exams and a family emergency it's taken me a while but it's here now! Hope it was worth it!!!

Skye was fairly certain…actually, almost completely certain that she didn’t do as well as she should have on her test…but her excuse for not studying had been completely worth it.  Thanks to Jemma’s new nickname for her, she suddenly had inspiration for what she wanted her special gift to be to her to symbolize that they were partners, since Skye still hadn’t given her something personal.  She had looked for the drawings of the pieces she had done the day before in class, but they were missing from her notebook when she went.  She wasn’t sure where she could have put them, but Skye thought she had worked brilliantly without them, allowing her to create something even better.

Her gift to Jemma was created out of shaped sea glass that Jemma had given her, which Skye had shaved down herself in the wee hours of the morning.  She had strung it together with string similar to that that Jemma had used on her own necklace and taken an especially large piece and had shaped it into something special.  The necklace was complete and Skye felt absolutely sure Jemma would love it.  She took some tools with her, including a rock pick and some sandpaper and a knife to adjust the necklace to Jemma’s preferred length and to soften any edges that she may have missed if the mermaid found any.

It was a quick pedal to the beach, and although Skye was late, she walked leisurely, enjoying the view and everything about today.  She was tired, and didn’t think she would be able to run, but she was very excited to show Jemma what she had made.  She still hadn’t been able to find her sketchbook…actually, a few others had been missing.  Her room had been a mess when she got back from the diner and Skye figured her mother had probably messed around in it.

She was halfway to the stone wall when she felt her pocket vibrate and when Skye pulled it out she was only half surprised to see her mother calling…she had sort of avoided her the other morning.

“Hey mom.”

“Hi honey, can you pick up a shift tonight?”

“Ugh…” Skye rolled her eyes, “Mom, no I can’t, I told you I have plans…”

“Alright, alright, I just thought I would ask you first. “

“Yeah, I know mom, thanks…”

“Oh, by the way, that boy showed up last night asking for you while you were at work.  He said you let him borrow some stuff he was just returning.  I forgot to give it to you this morning, I hope you didn’t need anything for class.”

“Oh no mom, I had everythi—wait, what boy, mom?”

“Oh the tall one…dark hair…uhm…Ward.”

“Ward was at our house?!  What did he have?!” She stopped walking, heart speeding up and suddenly it felt like she couldn’t breathe.

“I don’t know dear, I didn’t open them…” There was a pause and Skye listened as it sounded like her mother was walking and picking something up, “Sketchbooks honey.  Oh look, these are very good…this girl is very pretty.”

_Shit.  Fuck, shit, shit, damnit!!_

“I’ve got to go mom, sorry, bye!!”  Skye hung up quickly and shoved her phone back into her pocket and started walking again, this time at a quicker pace.  That would explain her sketchbooks missing.   Ward had somehow gotten her sketchbooks…but when?  Skye suddenly remembered him bumping into her during class…he had been awfully nosey…more so than usual.  If he had seen the sketches and recognized Jemma’s face—

“Shit…that mother fucker.”

 

___________

 

Jemma was showing up early, as usual. There really was no set time today, since Skye could possibly be late, but Jemma wanted to be there if she wasn't so she still headed out at her regular time, ignoring Bobbi's protests. Her swim to shore was quite pleasant, actually, Fitz and his pod had been in the area and Jemma had played with them for a few minutes before moving on.

It was almost like the day was too nice, but Jemma hadn't seemed to notice. The only thing she was really paying attention to were her thoughts about her human partner, so she was completely unaware of her surroundings. Normally she was careful, but now she was already very close to shore, inside the rock walls and the grotto, so she didn't feel any particular need to watch out.

At least not until her tail got stuck.

It wasn't like something solid had landed on it, to Jemma it felt more like something wrapped around it, but when she twisted her body to take a look, there was nothing there. While her tail was still stuck in place, she managed to bend in a way that she could reach her it. Her hands ran over it, looking for anything unusual, but what she came across instead was the same feeling on her wrist. And then there was something on her face.

Jemma didn't see it until it was too late, but there were imprints on her skin where clear fishing wire was pressing against it, and Jemma realized with quite a bit of panic that she was tangled in a net she couldn't see.

All rationality left her as she mindlessly struggled, attempting to get away but only tangling her limbs further until she was a complete mess, every part of her body was wound up tightly. It had been impossible for her to escape a threat she couldn't see, and a cry of distress almost escaped her lungs when her head surfaced, but she had at least a little logic left. Nets didn't just appear, humans had to set them. The thought that Skye had done this didn't even register in her mind, she immediately assumed it was someone else. It had to be. She needed to stay quiet, unless she wanted to attract the attention of someone she was one hundred percent certain she did not want to attract the attention of.

Heart pounding in her chest, Jemma tried to hold back the screams and cries for help she wanted to emit, she wanted to call for Skye until she got here and fixed this. What if someone else got here first? The thought haunted her, and caused her to struggle a little more, which resulted in her left arm getting pinned to her chest.

Jemma watched the rock wall desperately, and when she did see a familiar bag tossed over, she didn't hesitate.

"Skye!" She screeched, splashing around now as much as possible to get her attention. She was terrified and she just wanted to get out of this death trap, she didn't want to end up dead or in a cage. "Skye, _help me_!"

That hadn’t been what Skye wanted to hear from the other side of the wall, and all of a sudden everything she had been thinking about clicked into place.  He had.  The bastard had.  She didn’t know how, but he had.  She didn’t think she had ever climbed the tall rocks so fast and she practically fell into the sand on the other side in her rush.

“Jemma?!”

She scrambled out of the sand, grabbing her bag and looking to the shore.  She saw the mermaid thrashing about in the water just beyond, causing a huge commotion and she shot off down the beach in a panic.  Her lungs burned and it felt like her chest might explode.

“ _Jemma_ , what happened?!”

Her bag was off and in the sand at the edge of the water, shoes with it, and suddenly Skye was splashing  in the water as she rushed in, not even caring for a second.  She couldn’t afford to.  Thank goodness she wasn’t so far out that Skye had to swim to her because she wouldn’t have been able to, but she would have tried anyway and they would have both been in a mess.

“Stop moving!  Stop moving, it’s alright…let me see!”  She was wading out as fast she could manage, which wasn’t fast enough despite how quickly she wanted to be there.

Her hands stretched out and found Jemma in the water, “Calm down, I’m right here, Jemma.  I’ve got you…calm down,” She was trying to see what had happened but it was difficult.  It wasn’t until she felt thin strands on Jemma’s skin that she could even tell there was something there holding her down.

“A _net?!_  I’m going to _kill_ him!”

Skye’s blood was boiling.  Ward knew.  She didn’t know how, but he knew and he was trying to catch Jemma.  It couldn’t be anyone else…it had to be him.  There was no doubt in her mind and Skye wrapped her arms around the mermaid to get her to hold still and listen.

“Don’t move, Jemma.  I’m going to get you out!  I’ll be right back.  You’ll just get tangled if you move more…” She gave her a reassuring squeeze before doing her best to rush back to the shore, where, soaking wet, she grabbed for her bag and pulled out the knife.  She didn’t even want to think about what the situation would be like if she hadn’t ended up finishing Jemma’s necklace and bringing this today.

She was back in the water in a second and at Jemma’s side the next.

“You can’t move, alright?  I don’t want to hurt you on accident…” She couldn’t really see the net so she had to feel and she did her best, cutting at it where she could see it and trying to avoid hurting Jemma at the same time.  She needed to hurry though…she didn’t know when or if Ward would be coming back.  

Jemma's chest was still heaving, though the tight net that still bound most of her body didn't allow much room for hyperventilation. It was better now that Skye was here, she could fix it. Incomprehensible words sputtered out of Jemma's mouth as she leaned into Skye, shutting her eyes tightly and trying to ignore the way the cold blade accidentally touched her skin sometimes, but Skye was very careful and managed not to cut her.

"I don't know what happened, I couldn't see it in the water, and then my tail got stuck and I tried to get away but I-" Jemma's rambling was cut off by her own need to take a breath, and it was a desperate attempt to suck in as much oxygen as possible before she started hyperventilating again. She knew she was panicking, but even with Skye here it was hard to calm down.

“It’s okay, it’s okay…” Skye just kept saying it over and over because she didn’t know what else to say.  She was terrified for Jemma and she was fuming and trying to concentrate all at once.  She worked diligently, and finally, she felt that she had most of the net cut away, and she quickly reached and pulled it all off, slinging what was left of the main part of the net up into the sand so that they could see it and neither of them get tangled into it again.

Once Jemma was free, Skye tossed the knife onto the shore too and quickly grabbed the mermaid up into her arms and held her tightly, one hand on the back of her head and another on the small of her back, just standing there in the water with her. “I’ve got you…It’s okay.  I’m so sorry.  I’m _so_ sorry.”

This was her fault.  Bobbi had warned her and neither of them had listened.  If only Skye had been more careful…she shouldn’t have drawn so many pictures of Jemma…she shouldn’t have let her come onto land where she could have run into him.  Skye was almost hyperventilating herself, which wasn’t good for trying to calm the other girl down.  She kissed her face, hoping it would help, but she just held her there in the water.  She tried not to let the fact that she was up to her chest bother her…Jemma was scared more.  Jemma needed her more than Skye was afraid.

Jemma sniffled, and she was sure that if she was a human she would have been crying at this point. Humans cried when they were scared, right?

It didn't matter, Jemma just clung to Skye and held her clothes tightly in her fists, never wanting to let go. It didn't even register to her that Skye was actually in the water with her, she was just too horrified to notice any of it, really.

"I'm scared." Jemma whispered weakly, clutching Skye and hiding her face in the dip between Skye's shoulder and neck. Clearly, someone had known exactly where to put a net to catch her. They'd had to know, one, that she existed, and two, where to find her. There was only one person other than Skye that might know these things. It was Ward, and that sent a horrified shiver up her spine. He must have figured it out somehow because she'd stupidly wandered away at the pier and run into him. Maybe he followed them back here at some point.

“I know…y-you’re out now.  It’s okay… _shit_ , I mean it’s not really okay obviously, but you’re safe now.  I’ve got you,” Skye held onto Jemma tighter and kissed the top of her head.  She wanted to hold her forever and keep whispering calming and soothing words into her ear but Skye was scanning the rock walls, eyes darting from one to the other and then back to Jemma, only to start the process over again the next couple of seconds.

She didn’t know when Ward was coming back, and she needed Jemma gone by then…long gone, so the possibility of Ward even seeing her was beyond negative a thousand.  She was almost shaking with rage, but that wasn’t going to help.  The important thing was, she had gotten here first and now Jemma was out of the net.  She just needed her to get a little more together before she had to tell her to leave.  She hated that she was scared and Skye hated that it was all her fault.  She had led him here…she had let this happen.

“I’ve got you…” She repeated and rubbed her back, trying to stimulate her to breathe more evenly, “Jemma…you need to breathe.  I’ve got you right now.  You need to focus…” She whispered and kissed her cheek.  “I know you’re scared…I’m _so sorry_.  This is my fault…Ward must have followed me…my sketchbook went missing yesterday but I thought I just misplaced it…I-I didn’t know he took it.   _Goddamnit_ , I’m sorry.”

Jemma let Skye's words finally calm her down, and her breathing slowly began to even out, though her grip on her partner didn't loosen. It wasn't Skye's fault, and if it was, it was largely Jemma's, too, but she didn't have the words to explain this at the moment and instead just remained silent.

Eventually, the only noises Jemma could hear was both of their breathing and the faint sound of Skye's heartbeat, since her ear was still pressed against Skye's neck. The logical part of her brain was telling her that the both of them needed to get out of here, but she couldn't force herself to let go.

Everything was going to change. Ward knew she existed, and if he really was the horrible person he's proved himself to be- and if his father owned an _aquarium theme park_ \- he probably wouldn't give up. Their secret was out now, at least to him.

If the pod found out, they would pack up and leave in an instant, and Jemma would either be banished from the pod for exposing them or she'd have to leave with them and probably never see Skye again. Things were taking a turn for the worse, just like Bobbi had warned.

Skye let Jemma hold her as long as she thought her nerves could take before she knew she needed to get Jemma away.  She couldn’t even begin to process everything that this meant; she didn’t want to think about it.  Her only priority was keeping her safe.

She squeezed the mermaid tightly, turning her head one more time and planting a long kiss on the top of her head, which she sighed heavily into before pulling away and loosening her grip on the mermaid.

“Jemma…” her grip didn’t loosen and it made this even harder for her.

“Jemma,” She said it more firmly this time and as gently as possible, tried to push the mermaid back off of her just a little bit, “You need to leave.  You need to get out of here…” Skye was shaking some as she said the words.  If Jemma left, she didn’t know if she could ever come back.  It certainly wasn’t safe enough but Skye didn’t know if she could take not seeing her again.  Really, she had just found her, they had just settled things…they were supposed to be together forever now.  That’s how this worked.  At least that’s how it was supposed to work.

“You need to be safe, Jemma, you _need_ to go,” Skye managed to grab Jemma’s hands and hold them so that they weren’t wrapped around her anymore.  She was getting more and more anxious and she had a bad feeling bubbling up in the pit of her stomach and she really didn’t want to find out what it was.

“You have to be gone before Ward gets back!”

Skye's voice had progressively become more and more urgent and a painful feeling in Jemma's chest blossomed with each of her statements. Skye was right about her needing to leave, but it was still hard. It was uncertain when they would see each other and it only made the black hole of Jemma's fear grow even wider.

"I'll be back- I promise." Jemma nearly choked on the words and she threw herself at Skye one last time, wrapping her arms around her neck and pressing their mouths together eagerly. Jemma refused to think this would be their last kiss, but she wanted it to last until they saw each other again, whenever that might be.

Before Skye could say anything and Jemma could change her mind, she sunk straight down into the water and immediately went for her go to hiding place behind the rock, carefully trying to foresee any other nets, if there were any.

Once she got to the rock, Jemma resurfaced once more just to check and watch Skye leave safely, but she didn't see what she wanted to see. Her eyes caught sight of a tall, dark haired figure and Jemma was forced to slip behind the rock and out of his view. She was hoping, praying, that nothing happened to Skye.

“I see you let the catch of the day slip away!!”

Skye whirled around, head snapping up to look as Ward landed on her side of the rock wall.  He was inside the grotto and the brunette suddenly felt defensive.  He was practically invading her home.  He had already _invaded_ her home.  He had set a trap for Jemma, but still, she had to somehow play it off.  He couldn’t know everything, there was no way.

“I don’t know what you’re tal-“

“Can it, Johnson!  We both know why you’ve been coming here every day,” Ward snapped and it made Skye jump.  He had that tone.  He was angry, and things didn’t normally go well for her at all when he was angry.

“You sure did draw a lot of pictures of your gal for someone who doesn’t want her messed with.  You should have known better, Skye.  You can’t keep treasures like this all to yourself.  They need to be _shared_.”

Just the way he said it made her skin crawl, her hands tightening into fists as she moved up more onto the shore and out of the water.

“Back the _fuck off_ , Ward!  Just leave us alone,” Skye was ready to stand her ground.  She knew she wouldn’t be able to do it very well, especially if he meant it, and from the look he had, he did.  Still, she wasn’t going to give up.  She was going to stop him if she could.  She had to whatever she could to keep Jemma safe…to keep her _partner_ safe.

“No, see, it’s a little too late for that now, Johnson. I thought something was up with you when you brought your weird little friend to the pier.  I knew she was different, and the way you stormed off…well..” He did this thing with his eyebrow that made Skye want to rip it off, “When I saw your necklace, and that center piece for it…I figured you had something you didn’t want to share.  So I stole your sketchbook, and low and behold, there was a _mermaid_ with the same exact face as your new friend.  She’s awfully _cute_ by the wa-“

“You shut your mouth, Ward!”

“Or what?  Or _what_ , Skye?  Are you going to _hit_ me?” he was laughing and it made her shake with rage.  She wanted to hit him.  She would get at least one good lick in before he beat her senseless, she knew that much.  By that time Jemma would be long gone and there would be nothing he could do about it.

“I’ll _fucking try_ ,” Skye took a step forward and stepped on something hard in the sand.  Her eyes shot down and went wide when she saw her knife.  Apparently Ward saw it too because by the time Skye was down trying to pick it up she felt a sharp pain in her temple and suddenly her face was down in the sand.  She could already feel the bruise starting to color the side of her face and her head was spinning.

“Now, I saw that mermaid go into the water, so she can’t be far off, not if you’re still here,” Ward had the knife in his hand and he was meandering down to the shoreline while Skye was still on the ground.

“Hey!  Mermaid, your friend is in trouble.  Why don’t you come out and see if you can’t help her, huh?” He shouted towards the water, looking over to where he had set the net, eyeing it closely.

“You leave her _alone!!_ ” Skye yelled spitting out sand and picking herself up.  When she looked, Ward had what was left of his net in one hand and the knife in the other, heading towards the rock where she knew Jemma waited for her every day.  If she was still here he could get her again, and Skye wasn’t going to take that chance.

“ _Don’t you touch her!!_ ”

Ward turned around just as Skye was on him, hands grabbing his shirt to shove him back into the rock.  Her hands grasped his shirt tightly, and she shoved.  He went a little easier than expected, because his look of determination faded very quickly to confusion and then mild horror.

Skye didn’t have time to wonder why and so she pulled and slammed him into the rock again and he was too shocked to do anything about it.  After the third time, he seemed to regain some sense, and when he went to run away, he slid in the wet sand and fell, unable to catch himself as Skye almost went with him.  His head hit a rock and Skye watched carefully for a moment, wondering if he might spring up, but when he didn’t she took a step back.

Her adrenaline spike was starting to fade and all of a sudden, something didn’t seem right.  She was dizzy, and there was another sharp, more distinct pain coming from her stomach now and when she looked down, she discovered why.  She didn’t have a lot of time to really register because as her adrenaline went, so did she.

Suddenly she was on her knees in the wet sand, gasping next to Ward, her knife up to the hilt in her lower abdomen. When Ward had turned, it had been out, and Skye had run right into it.  She hadn’t even noticed she had been so focused on getting him away…she should have paid more attention.  She knew not to take it out, but still, she wasn’t exactly sure what to do and she was down in the sand before she could react, almost shrieking as she fell back and the wound was jostled.

"Skye!" Jemma did shriek, and she raced away from the rock and back towards the sand, dragging herself up onto shore even if Ward could get up any second. The second things had gone awry, Jemma had been listening in, and she'd almost revealed herself when Ward called out to her, but she'd managed to stay hidden until now. She couldn't hide or run away when Skye was still here, dying the sand red.

"Skye," Jemma whined when she finally reached her. Her eyes wandered first over the girl's pained expression, and they fell down and got stuck on the knife jammed into her body.

"I'm going to fix this..." Jemma cried. Her entire body was shaking, and she wanted to help, but she didn't know what to do. All she knew was that there was a _knife_ buried in her   _partner_. They were supposed to be together forever, they'd only just made this promise recently, and Jemma wasn't going to break it.

"You're going to be alright, okay?" Jemma said, though she was uncertain. She knew nothing about the way a human would react to this sort of trauma, and the only thing she could imagine would help with the pain would be to take out the knife. She wrapped both hands around it and whispered words of comfort before she smoothly slid it out. Horrified, Jemma tossed the bloodied knife into the sand and cupped Skye's cheeks, hoping to get a reaction out of her. Anything.

Skye called out loudly again when the knife slid out and in her dizzying state she almost couldn’t realize what had happened.  Her breathing quickened and her eyes got wider.  Jemma would be sure to notice the stain on her shirt suddenly getting bigger and Skye was shaking her head.

“ _O-oh my god…_ Jemma,” She managed to get one hand onto where her wound was and she let out a hiss as she tried to put pressure on it and only ended up yelling and getting her hand soaked in her own blood instead.  She didn’t have the strength to do it.  Everything was getting faint.

“I…I _love_ you…b-but you sh-shouldn’t have done th-that…” She breathed, letting her head fall back into the sand and grab at one of Jemma’s hands and squeezed it as tight as she could, which wasn’t very tight.

“Y-you’re not sup…” She couldn’t finish right away having to pause to take a breath and gather her scrambled thoughts, “N-not supposed to…ta-take it out…”  She didn’t think she could keep explaining.  It was already too hard for her to keep her eyes open, but she knew if she closed them she wasn’t sure if she would be able to open them again…ever.

There was no calling 911…she had soaked her phone beyond the point of no return by diving in after Jemma.  She knew it wouldn’t work, because after she had fallen in the first time it had been broken for a week.  She was going to die here.  She was going to bleed out in the sand and leave Jemma all alone and Skye couldn’t believe how insanely stupid she was.  This was all her fault.

No amount of pressure was going to help her…it would only slow it down, and Skye needed to act while she was still lucid.  Her bloodied hand dipped very slowly into her pocket and pulled out the necklace she had made.  All the colors of the sea glass in it matched the colors of Jemma’s scales and hanging as the main pendant in the center, was a very carefully carved starfish.

“I-I made…I made th-this for you…”

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Jemma repeated over and over again. She couldn't believe she'd just messed everything up so horribly. She'd only been trying to help, but clearly by the quickly enlarging pool of blood she'd done a piss poor job.

Jemma choked down a loud sob when she saw the necklace, and she realized that Skye had just said she loved her for the first time. She made this beautiful symbol of their partnership, and here she was, about to die right in front of her. Skye didn't deserve this.

"I love it, and I love you." Jemma cried, and as she gripped Skye's hand tightly with the necklace between their two palms, Jemma was surprised to feel actual tears running down her cheeks. Maybe she was more human than she thought, and Skye was more like a mermaid than she had originally believed.

Skye. A mermaid. Skye was a member of the pod, which meant she was just as entitled to their medicines as any of the rest of them.

"Hold on, everything's going to be alright soon." Jemma promised. Clearing her throat, Jemma switched away from English like she had when she'd first shown Skye her language, and she strained her voice belting out a call above water that would reach all the way to the caves. She said one of their own was fatally wounded, and it wasn't a lie.  
            Skye smiled weakly, glad to see that Jemma liked the necklace, although she couldn’t really be sure if it was because she really did, or if she just liked it because she was dying.  Skye knew it was because she did genuinely like it, but the other thought kept creeping up…probably because it was true.

She winced a little as the loud sound pierced her ears, but it wasn’t altogether unpleasant.  It just sounded like a whale… a very loud whale, and Skye had always liked to listen to Jemma talk in her actual language.  It was much more beautiful sounding than English was…and any other human language for that matter.

“O-Oh good…I-I was…beginning to w-worry a lit-little bit…” Skye cracked a half smile and almost laughed, except it turned into a cough, which just made her abdomen hurt more and caused her to groan loudly.  She was just trying to make Jemma feel better and she was probably doing a shitty job.  Not much could really cheer a person up if their life partner was dying right in front of them, practically in their arms. She grabbed Jemma’s hand tighter suddenly and her breathing grew more ragged than it already was.

Jemma was a blur, and she didn’t want her to be. She wanted to see her face, to keep looking at it until she couldn’t anymore, which seemed to be approaching very quickly.

“I-I’m sorry…I’m s-sorry…” She shouldn’t have agreed to this.  She knew when she had decided to accept this and be Jemma’s partner that she would somehow fall short.  How could she not? And now it was happening and Jemma was going to be left alone forever instead of with her forever.

“I d-do rea…r-r…” She couldn’t get it out.  She had to get it out.

“l-love you…” Her breathing staggered again, worse than before, and her grip around Jemma’s hand loosened.  Skye found she couldn’t keep her eyes open anymore.  She was just so tired.  Curling up with Jemma and taking a nap sounded wonderful, especially since she had been awake all night making her necklace.

"Skye, no. No." Jemma squeezed Skye's hand tighter, hoping desperately that she would feel Skye squeeze back again. The amount of sand that Skye's blood had seeped into had quickly increased, and there wasn't a thing Jemma could do about it.

"Just a few more minutes, Skye, please." Jemma begged, running the fingers of her free hand through Skye's hair. It felt like Jemma had been stabbed herself when Skye's eyes fell shut, and she had to move her fingers down to Skye's pulse point just to be sure she was still alive. She was. There was still time.

"Jemma! What is hap-" the second Jemma heard a voice that was not her own, Skye's, or Ward's, Jemma head whirled around to face the ocean, and unsurprisingly, the heads of May and the shaman, her partner Coulson.

"Please, you have to help us, Skye's hurt." Jemma begged, gripping Skye's hand, which was rapidly decreasing in temperature. Despite Coulson's seemingly kind and willing face, May was still stony and expressionless.

"A human? You want us to use our medicine on a human?" It was like May couldn't believe what she'd said, like it was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard. This wasn't a joke to Jemma, though, and whether or not she could convince May determined Skye's life.

"She saved my life. I was caught in a net-" Jemma's eyes wandered over to Ward lying in the sand several meters away, and if Skye hadn't needed her so much, Jemma was apt to kill him in that moment. It would be so easy. She just had to pick up the knife Ward had used to almost kill her and slide it across his throat, and that would be it...

Jemma let the dark thought pass and looked back to May, who still seemed unconvinced that saving Skye would be worth their use of supplies. She had to convince her, and there was really only one way...

"Skye is my partner. You have to save her." Jemma only let go of Skye's hand to hold up the bloodied necklace, and she used the other to fun her fingers along the one around Skye's neck. May looked dumbstruck. Surely this had never happened to them before, it wasn't something she knew how to handle, and honestly, neither did Jemma. May didn't say anything, and Jemma didn't know if that was worse or better. While Jemma's heart continued beating wildly, and Skye's weakly, Coulson whispered something into his own partner's ear, and May's face softened. She gave a tiny nod directly to Coulson, who then held up a tiny vial of light blue, almost glowing liquid before tossing it up on the sand.

"It seems Aphrodite has not been kind to you, child." Coulson said sympathetically before disappearing under the surface and swimming away. May stayed behind as Jemma scrambled for the medicine for Skye, and she knew it couldn't be good.

"There will be a vote to determine your fate. Do not come back to the caves unless you are sent for." She said firmly, her mouth a tight line. Jemma nodded, just grateful for what she could get, and then May was gone as well.

"Skye, you're going to be okay!" Jemma promised, pulling Skye's shirt up away from the wound and quickly uncapping the vial. Jemma just had to empty it onto Skye's wound, and she watched gratefully as it seemed to soak into the deep cut and pull her skin closed with it, sealing the injury and only leaving behind a small, raised line on her stomach.

"I love you so much, it's all going to be alright." Jemma cried, pressing her forehead against Skye's stomach. There was still one more thing she had to do, though. She looked from the knife to Ward in longing, but she couldn't. She wasn't like him.

Jemma had to get Skye out of here, and after putting on her beautiful starfish necklace, which ended up fitting perfectly, Jemma dragged Skye to the ocean's edge, apologizing profusely before dragging her into the water and holding her close.

It took near two hours for Jemma to swim around the island with Skye in her arms before she found another relatively safe shore. It was smaller, but concealed by even larger boulders that would take quite a bit of climbing to get over.

"See, I promised you you'd be okay." Jemma grunted as she dragged Skye's unconscious form up onto land, suddenly getting a sense of deja vu from the very first time she'd seen Skye.  Jemma was exhausted from having carried her this far and from the emotional trauma of the day, so once Skye was far enough onto shore, Jemma curled into her body, wrapping her tail protectively around  her partner's legs and resting her hand on the new scar on her abdomen. So maybe they would both get that nap, and neither of them had to die for it.

Jemma didn't know what to think as she laid there silently. She might be banished from her pod forever, but she couldn't think about that right now. She just needed to be grateful that Skye was alive, so she let herself fall asleep.

Skye laid there for a long time, unconscious and steadily  breathing.  Her breaths grew deeper and her pulse grew stronger and if was getting well on towards dark before everything suddenly seemed to jolt into action.  When Skye's body shot up, she was in a panic.  The last she remembered, Ward was trying to get Jemma and that panic she felt flooded her again and she gasped loudly, almost starting to  hyperventilate.

"J-Jemma?!" The mermaid was still curled around her and seeing her asleep, Skye quickly assumed the worst.  She shook her, not caring to be gentle, "Jemma?  Jemma are you alright?!"

She hadn't looked around, didn't realize that they were somewhere completely new.  The fear from before was real and she needed to make sure the mermaid was safe.

Jemma's eyes flashed open with the sudden jolt, and she blinked away sleep a few times before everything finally registered. Skye was talking to her. Skye had to he alive to talk to her

"Skye," Jemma gasped, practically flinging herself at her. She wrapped her arms around her partner's neck and held her tightly, only parting to cup Skye's cheeks and pepper kisses all over her face.

"You're alright." Jemma cried. Even though she saw Skye heal, she had still been worried. It was relieving to actually have Skye conscious.

Skye wasn't sure why Jemma seemed so relieved and she opened her mouth to say something, to push the mermaid away because she needed to leave and get to safety, when she felt a ghost of a pain.  Her eyes darted down to her ripped and blood soaked shirt and suddenly her breathing started to quicken even more.  She had been dying.  She had been passed out, bleeding out onto the sand, Jemma crying over her.  She had apologized so much.  She had had so much to say and not nearly enough of it came out.

Her eyes landed on Jemma's neck, where the necklace she had given her hung securely.  The sight of it made her calm down.  The blood on it had been washed away, and slowly, Skye took a breath and then latched onto Jemma, holding her tightly.

"Jemma, I'm so sorry!" She held her tightly and buried her face in the mermaid's neck, suddenly starting to cry, grasping tightly onto her now that the shock of everything was setting in.

She was still so worried about Jemma still being here.  Anything could happen.  Ward could come back.  Ward could come back with more people, more nets, more things that were worse than that. "Jemma...y-you can't..." She was shaking her head but she really didn't want Jemma to leave.

"It's ok, Skye, we're safe." Jemma whispered, though that wasn't entirely the truth. Sure, they were on a different beach and pretty well blocked off from the rest of the island, but it was only so big and if Ward really wanted to find them, he probably could. They were alright for now, though, and Jemma had to make sure Skye knew that.

Skye was still crying onto Jemma's shoulder, and Jemma wrapped her arms around the girl and began rubbing circles into her back, trying to comfort her. She'd almost died, and Jemma definitely thought it was better to have her here crying than not at all.

Somehow, Jemma had almost come to accept the dangerous situation she was in. Like Skye was trying to point out, she couldn't exactly stay out in the open, but she wasn't allowed back near the caves until the entire pod came to a decision, and something as big as this could take days. It seemed as if she wasn't going to be able to go to deeper waters for safety, so she only hoped that the rocks would protect them.

"This isn't your fault." Jemma whispered, holding Skye close. All of this was an accident, and if they were to lay blame, they'd have to split it equally. Jemma was the one who kept coming back and pushed to go on land, so it was just as much her fault as Skye's for having the sketchbook. If it hadn't been for Jemma, Ward wouldn't have had any reason to steal the sketchbooks, and even if he had he wouldn't have recognized her.

It took the crying girl a while for her to stop but when she did, she kept her face nuzzled into Jemma's neck and her arms around her.  Jemma would only know she had stopped sobbing because her breathing returned to an even rhythm and she was composed enough to kiss the mermaid's neck gently.  It still felt like her fault, even though Jemma had said it wasn't. She was the one who was supposed to be looking out for her and she had done a shitty job, case and point.  Ward had found out and almost caught Jemma.  Yeah, she was doing a swell job.

When she did move away, it was only to look down at herself, taking a hesitant hand and running it over the bloodied spot where the knife had been, feeling only a long, thin, upraised scar.  She remembered how quickly Jemma's wounds had healed when magic was applied...so that must have been the case now.  If she was healed...then that must mean either Jemma had gone back to get the potion, which she didn't remember Jemma leaving her, and seriously doubted she would have, or, "Did you call for your pod, Jemma...?  I remember hearing your singing sounds...what happened?"

"They know, Skye, they all know." Jemma wished she had good news for Skye, but she just didn't have it. It was bad enough that Ward had tried to capture her, but now she had to tell Skye that she had nowhere that was actually safe for her to take refuge.

"It was their duty to heal you, but I'm not to return to the pod until they've decided my fate." Jemma didn't sugarcoat it, she couldn't, not now. It was best that they both knew everything during such a dangerous situation.

"What?!"

The artist was sent into another panic and if it hadn't been for Jemma still holding her and her tail still over her legs she would have shot up and began to pace.

"They can't just do that!  W-Ward is still out there.  He could come back for you!  It's not safe for you to stay here.  Jemma, they have to let you go back!" Skye couldn't believe they were putting Jemma out like this.  She was in danger, she needed their help.  Skye almost thought she would be better off dead if they had let Jemma go back with them to get away from Ward and whatever crazy shit he was planning.  

"Th-they can't just do that..." She couldn't understand how she was supposed to keep Jemma safe.  As she looked around she noticed the rock walls were higher and when she looked back it looked more like a decently high cliff face with vegetation hanging over it.  This wasn't their normal place.  She had no idea if people came here or not.  She couldn't just let Jemma stay on land, Ward could get her and Skye had clearly demonstrated she wasn't the best at defense.  She couldn't send her into the ocean alone either.  There were still sharks to worry about.  There was no good medium, no safe place.

It was definitely her fault.  She had drawn Jemma, she had lead him here, she had provided him the clues.  She should have kept away when Bobbi came to warn her of the dangers.  They were all happening at once it seemed.  She was so worked up all over again that she was shaking.  

"You should have just left Jemma! I told you to run, so you could be safe and n-now...now you can't.  They've got to let you back!" She was upset and she was yelling, and with good reason.  It had been a traumatic and stressful day and Skye was snapping.  She couldn't even do the one job she was supposed to do.  "You should have swam home, Jemma!" If she had, then maybe she just wouldn't be allowed back, which wouldn't have been an issue because Skye knew she would have died anyway.  But at least she would be safe and out of Ward's reach...now neither of them had anywhere to go.  Skye couldn't just go home either.  Ward would probably be waiting for her...

"I couldn't just let you die!" Jemma snapped right back, pulling away from Skye slightly. She didn't understand how Skye could be so single minded. She was willing to give up everything for Jemma, but she wouldn't let her do the same.

"We'll figure something out." Jemma said quietly, shaking her head. There had to be a solution, it couldn't all just end here. She couldn't force herself to look up from the sand, Skye's biting tone struck her silent.

Skye was silent as well, still fuming, but it didn't take long for her inner fire to die down again.  Sighing heavily, she shifted back towards Jemma, wanting her contact back and softly reaching for her hand so she had at least something.

"I'm sorry, Jems..." She waited till she saw the mermaid relax a little more before she came all the way back into her, wrapping her arms around her and holding her close.

"Thank you, Jemma...I'm sorry I yelled...I just..." She sighed again and gave her a kiss on the cheek instead, "You're right.  It'll all work out.  Thank you for saving me... _again_.  I meant what I said before.  I love you..I just want you to be safe..."

"I love you too, that's why I had to save you." Jemma snuggled into Skye's side, fitting against her where she belonged. It was still rapidly getting dark, and Jemma knew she couldn't go back into the ocean now, especially since there were no caves for shelter. Skye probably couldn't go home, Ward would easily find her there, so it seemed as though their only option was to stay here tonight and hope they were safe.

"I really do love the necklace." Jemma pointed out when it got too quiet. She reached up to her neck and careful turned the starfish over in her fingertips, smiling happily. Jemma always found the good in everything, and despite the terrible things that were happening, she and Skye were still partners.

Skye chuckled lightly and smiled, leaning over against the mermaid to snuggle down.  She touched a hand to her own necklace before moving her hand to the real thing, rubbing down Jemma's scales affectionately.  "I'm glad you like it...I spent all night on it," she leaned down and kissed the mermaid's cheek a couple of times, "I made it with all of the sea glass you brought me.  When I sculpt, I use metal sometimes, but I really like using rocks...so the sea glass was perfect.  I sanded it down too so there shouldn't be any sharp edges on the starfish." Skye sighed with a small smile, "I like my new nickname by the way...how did starfish come about?"

She was chilly as it got darker, still damp and the wind was starting to pick up and Skye shivered lightly against Jemma, subconsciously moving closer and nuzzling into her more.

Jemma giggled at the memory of taking Skye into the water only yesterday, though after everything that had happened since then made it seem like longer. "Well, you see, when I brought you to meet Fitz you were clinging to me exactly like a starfish." Jemma chuckled. "And if you think about it, humans do kind of look like starfish to us, with all your limbs." She joked, resting a hand on Skye's thigh and squeezing lightly to emphasize her point.

"I guess we do!" Skye laughed, nodding and smiling wide, wiggling her toes in the sand. Jemma's nickname for was clever, and she loved it already.  Her nickname for Jemma was only a shorter version of her name, but she liked the way that she smiled when she said it.  The wind quickly reminded her that she was getting colder though, and when Jemma gave her thigh a squeeze she felt a little surge of warmth.

It made her shiver even more though and she gently placed her hand over Jemma's and held it lightly. "One good thing I guess...we get another night together.  What do you think about that, hm?" She had almost died today, so Skye could think of worse ways to be spending a night than on the beach with her partner.

"That is definitely a good thing." Jemma grinned, running her hand up and down Skye's thigh when she saw how much she liked it. Even though they didn't have the blankets and the hot chocolate, it would still be nice and they could keep each other warm.

Jemma eased herself onto her side, and was pleased when Skye did the same. Skye received a quick, playful peck on the nose before Jemma wriggled closer and kissed her soundly.

Skye practically hummed a contented noise into Jemma's lips and she leaned in for more when the mermaid broke away, recapturing her lips and kissing her again. It grew almost desperate, and one of Skye's hands was on the back of Jemma's head, tangled in her hair and pulling her closer while the other one slid to rest at her waist between her scales and skin.  

Jemma had almost been captured and taken away from her today.  She had almost died and left Jemma alone today.  Both of them were still in danger.  Jemma could be banished from the pod or be welcomed back and they could migrate.  Any number of things could happen, and Skye couldn't bear the thought of not having Jemma for another minute. She wanted as much of her as she could get, right now, in this very moment.  She wanted the mermaid to overload her senses.  She wanted to forget that everything had the potential to fall apart, for just a little while.  They were both here and they had the night together, and the artist was going to make sure that they enjoyed it as much as they could.  Who knew if they would get another one.  Everything was so uncertain now.

They had to break for air, and Skye had been kissing so forcefully she was sure at least her own lips were swollen, but she wasn't satisfied.  By the time Jemma had caught her breath, Skye had unknowingly shifted a little more to face her, hand still tangled in her hair and holding her head.

"I love you, Jemma..." Skye pressed herself against the mermaid again, her lips were claiming Jemma's once again. She had made her the necklace, pouring as much love and creativity into its design as she could manage, as Jemma had done hers by giving her one of her scales...and Skye knew that Jemma knew she loved her.  That's what the necklaces meant...but still, she had a strong desire to show her how much she loved her.  She needed to show her another way, to make it extra clear.  A human way.

Skye's hand had slid all the way down to where Jemma's thighs would have been, rubbing her hand along the scales there, trying to make her feel as nice as possible.  A particularly cold breeze ran up over the shoreline making Skye shiver more and press herself further into the mermaid she was still lip locked with.  It caused her to bite down on the mermaid's lip on accident and Skye pulled away suddenly, face red and heated."I-I'm sorry...I didn't..." She certainly hadn't meant to bite her, or get carried away like she had.  The hand in her hair lowered to Jemma's shoulder but the one on her scales kept a firm grip there, not wanting to fully surrender just yet.  She had surprised herself and probably Jemma too, but she would have been lying to say she hadn't enjoyed it.  Even now, her body was warm and against the wind this felt good.

Jemma had been surprised and a tiny bit confused when Skye had bit her lip, but it didn't last long. The strange feeling that had passed over her in that moment hadn't been bad, but it was intense and new. Like most other things Skye introduced to her, it was something she wanted to explore. Skye wouldn't have done it if it wasn't normal.

"You need to stop..." Jemma breathed as she leaned in for another kiss. She let it linger before she pulled away again and stared into Skye's eyes. "...apologizing." She finished with a grin, going in for a kiss yet again. Lucky for Skye, Jemma was a fast learner and she lightly bit Skye's bottom lip, pretty sure that she was doing the right thing by both the feeling in her body and the way Skye reacted.

At the bite, a small, pleased moan bubbled up from Skye's throat and past her lips, which had parted in surprise at it being returned.  It made her face go red, and she was about to apologize again, but then she remembered what Jemma had just said.  She kissed her hard instead, to keep herself quiet and a tingle of warmth made its way down her spine.

Skye's hand against Jemma's tail kept its grip and started moving again, rubbing down along it as far as Skye could reach before bringing it back up and repeating the process. Jemma's scales normally felt cold to her unless they had been laying in the sun for a while, but now Skye could feel them heating up on their own.

She decided to bite again.  It was more gentle this time and less of a surprise, but it still made the mermaid's lips part and before Skye could think twice about it, she was lacing her tongue over Jemma's lip to sooth down the bite before it slipped into her mouth.  Skye let her tongue rub and move against hers, hoping the girl would learn fast again and figure out what to do.  Less than appropriate thoughts were starting to slip their way into Skye's mind and linger, and if her previous moan had been any indication, heating herself up like this was starting to have side effects.  Her hand on Jemma's shoulder slid down, Skye forcing it to stay on Jemma's arm, holding onto her almost desperately.  It wanted to wander and she wanted to let it but she wasn't sure how to even begin starting to explain her thoughts to the mermaid.  She doubted they did anything like this at all, since they didn't kiss.  Skye still wasn't an expert on mermaids and not even an expert on Jemma.

Her thought process had lasted so long, she had somehow found herself straddling the mermaid, one hand having moved to Jemma's face to hold it while they still kissed.  Her face was probably a safer place than where Skye wanted to let it go, but it didn't make much difference because the artist was pressing herself against the mermaid in such a way that their chests were touching. It made her breathing start to stagger like before when they had been on the other beach and Skye was too unfocused to register it to worry if Jemma would think something was wrong.

Jemma had a feeling she'd been missing out on quite a bit with their chaste little kisses, but it seemed as if Skye had been taking it slow for her up until this point. The strange thing was that if Jemma had never met Skye, in no world would she have had the desire to do something like this, she wouldn't even think about it, but with Skye, it was all she wanted to do. Skye's mouth was warm and so were the hands on Jemma's scales and face, and it made her shiver in delight. A sound Jemma didn't even recognize as her own slipped out while Skye's tongue moved against hers.

Jemma was learning quickly, and she knew that it did matter where she put her hands, so she brought them up to Skye's waist and gripped tightly. Her thumb ended up slipping through the hole in Skye's shirt and running over the new scar there. Skye had almost died today. Jemma had almost lost her, after such a short time together. This had to last.

Soon, desperate for more contact, Jemma's hands, which had been slightly chilled from the wind, slipped under Skye's shirt completely to hold her waist firmly, and the warmth she felt there made Jemma's spine tingle. Her thumb contrasted from their kiss as she continued to gently slide it across the raised line.

Skye's lips broke away and hissed at the cold contact of Jemma's hands at first and it made her skin tingle and goosebumps pop up over her body.  She briefly wondered if Jemma even knew what goosebumps were or if mermaids got them.  She had half a mind to find out.

When she went back in for another kiss, she didn't go for Jemma's lips, instead, sinking her head down to the crook of the mermaid's neck and planting a series of kisses there instead. She found herself wanting to move, and it was in a way that she knew she would probably have to explain, so she resisted again...which was getting harder at this point.  Jemma seemed to absolutely be enjoying herself, if Skye found her hands on her waist was any indication.  She also wouldn't mind if they slid up a bit too, but that made her face get redder and she was glad Jemma couldn't see it while she kissed her neck.  Trying to explain human urges wasn't going to be easy.

Jemma gasped in surprise and delight, there was yet another thing she hadn't discovered yet. She tilted her head to the side slightly to allow Skye more room, and her hands began to wander a bit. One of the hands on Skye's waist, still under her shirt, slid across her skin until it was on her back and pulling Skye down against her firmly. The other moved to a different place entirely, choosing to return to Skye's thigh. Jemma could feel the little goosebumps under her palm and fingertips, but their meaning was unknown. Her hand moved up and down on Skye's thigh the way Skye's had on her tail, and she liked the heat the friction there created.

"Oh my god..."

Jemma needed to stop.  They both needed to stop before Skye decided to teach the mermaid more about humans than she was probably ready for.  Doing said task was going to be a lot harder than just thinking it though, because the artist really _really_ liked what Jemma was doing.

Her skin was hot and her face was red and Jemma rubbing her thigh wasn't helping at all.  She stopped her own hand on the mermaid's tail and brought it to her shoulder, moving her other hand to the other.  Now she just had to pull herself away.  Skye let herself kiss Jemma's neck a few more times before she tried, failing, and ended up kissing her way to her jawline and back to her lips. Yes, this was going to be very hard indeed.

"Jemma..." She kissed her hard, but not as hard as she wanted, "we need..." She did it again, grip tightening on her shoulders, "to stop..." Her hips actually rolled forward a little bit before Skye finally got a grip and pulled herself back, even against Jemma's hand that was trying to pull her closer.  

Her face was red, but in the dark the mermaid probably couldn't see it, and her breathing was heavy and irregular.  She was definitely disappointed but she didn't want to be stupid.  Everything the mermaid had been doing was wonderful and she definitely wanted more of it, but if she got more of it she was going to have to explain a whole lot of things she didn't know how to explain to someone who didn't already know what was happening.

"Is something wrong?" Jemma asked curiously. She was slightly concerned about Skye's sudden stop. As far as she could tell, they'd both been enjoying themselves very much. The lingering feeling of Skye's mouth against hers hadn't faded away yet, and Jemma's hands still remained on Skye's skin.

It was concerning that Skye had completely stopped like that, seemingly for no apparent reason. Maybe Jemma missed something. She still wasn't completely educated in human ways, so it was possible that this was a completely normal thing to do.

"No...no not at all," Skye shook her head, trying to even her breathing up again but she could still feel the tingle if her skin where Jemma's hands were. Her lips were a little swollen and she wanted more.  She wanted Jemma's lips back on hers all night long but even though they were partners, she felt too shy to ask for it.

She could tell the mermaid was still waiting for something so Skye sighed, "Nothing is wrong, I promise.  Humans are just...complicated." She decided on and breathed lightly, loosening her grip on Jemma's shoulders and slowly wrapped them around her neck, hugging her gently.  "Please don't make me explain, I don't think I can...the best I can do is it's too much of a good thing.  I really like it...so it's not that I don't. Don't worry."

"Yes, you are complicated." Jemma couldn't even be disappointed, she just let out a small laugh. She was sure it was something Skye would explain to her eventually, she just had to be patient. It was probably something a little harder to explain to her, especially when they were both so tired.

Jemma couldn't believe it was still the same day, it didn't feel like she'd almost been captured and Skye was stabbed earlier that day. They both deserved quite a bit of rest, and it would be good to get it now before anything else happened. Who knew when they would be able to safely spend the night with each other again.

"We should probably get to sleep." Jemma pointed out. Despite their long nap after getting here, Jemma was still tired, and she could tell just by looking at Skye's face that she was too. "Come here," Jemma said softly, patting the sand next to her.

Skye chuckled, relieved, and slid off of Jemma's lap, surprised that she had even ended up there in the first place, and sat next to her.  It didn't take her long to snuggle in and lean over to kiss her on the cheek.

"That's a very good idea...I'm so tired," she rested her head on the mermaid's shoulder and grabbed her hand, holding it tightly and close to her.  "Dead tired..." She gave a wide grin and quickly apologized when Jemma made an upset sound, "I'm sorry, that was a terrible joke!" She kissed her on the lips this time, careful not to let herself start anything.  She knew she had yelled earlier when she woke up, upset that Jemma wasn't safe, and she still wasn't, but Skye was glad that she was still here and that they were together.

"Thank you for staying, Jemma...I know I got you into trouble with your pod but...I can't..." She couldn't explain how glad she was that Jemma hadn't left...hadn't left her alone on the beach, even though Skye had told her to go and do just that.

"I always come back, remember?" Jemma kissed the top of Skye's head and wrapped her arms around her, pulling her close. They'd need each other right now, not just for the cold, but for comfort. Neither of them knew what would be out there waiting for them the next day, whether in the ocean or on land.

"Thank you, too, Skye. I don't know what I would do without you." Jemma told her. Skye wasn't just her best friend, she was everything. Jemma was so glad she decided to stick around despite everything that had happened. It was inconvenient and it put Skye in unnecessary danger, but she stayed, and Jemma loved her even more for it.

"I love you, now go to sleep." She whispered with a smile.


	11. Rabbit Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is short but it's going to knock you right in the feels.

It had been a few days since the incident and although Skye had been fine at home so far and at school...she hadn't seen Ward anywhere.  She had expected him to show up, be angry, get back at her and finish what he had accidentally started, but she hadn't heard even a peep out of him.  He wasn't in class and he didn't show up at her house or at the beach and this worried Skye more than seeing him everywhere. At least if she could see him, she knew where he was.  This was some ghostly weird ninja shit and she didn't like it.  It made her more anxious than if he would just come confront her. Something had to be up, but she didn't know what.

The pier had been busier than normal, full of boats, so Skye had made sure to tell Jemma to steer clear from that side of the island all together.  The pod still hadn't let her go back so she was resolved to spend every night there on the beach with her till they did.  She couldn't afford to leave her alone.  She even had blankets and things stashed up under the cliff at their new meeting place.  It broke the wind well, as they had discovered, and the blankets kept them even warmer and hid them pretty well from anyone should someone else come along.  There hadn't been anyone so far though, so Skye felt pretty confident that their new place was just as secluded as their old one.

Ward hadn't been in class again and just the fact that he was missing was enough to set her on edge as she unlocked her bike from the rack after leaving campus.  The sun was almost in their position and Skye got happy again, knowing she would be able to see Jemma soon.  It was quite a bit further to go to their new place, but Skye didn't mind.  Further meant safer and she was absolutely alright with that.  She had some new sketches for Jemma today.  She was sure that she had gotten the pattern of her tail closer this time, if not perfect and she was excited to show her.

 

___________________

 

The last few days hadn't been so bad, at least not for Jemma. She had noticed that Skye was anxious, but Jemma had just been trying to enjoy that nothing bad seemed to be happening. She wasn't naive enough to think that Ward just decided to leave them alone, but she could certainly hope. The thing that was getting to her, however, was that the pod still hadn't called for her. Even if they had decided to banish her, they would have told her. There must be a huge debate going on for it to take this long to get to the vote. The thought of getting banished did scare her, she'd been living with her pod her entire life, the possibility of never seeing them again was terrifying. At least she had Skye, though, and she would never leave.

Jemma had been spending the time Skye wasn't on the beach in the water just beyond it, too cautious to go any further. If she got anywhere near the caves, it wouldn't help her case, and she didn't want to go anywhere else for fear of Ward. It wasn't terrible, though, she mostly gathered up all the sea glass and interesting shells near the shore for Skye, dumping them into the sand in piles for her when she got back. Skye had been taking them home with her every morning, and Jemma couldn't wait to see what kind of project she would do with them.

Maybe they'd been pushing their luck staying in this new place. They hadn't seen anyone the first few days, but today Jemma was surprised. When her head came up out of the water near the beach, a bag full of shells at her waist, she had to duck back under immediately. There'd been men there. She didn't recognize them, but they were wearing  blue shirts with an image of a whale on the shoulder, the one Skye had told her to watch out for. Apparently it meant they worked at the marine park Ward's father owned.

If she hadn't already been terrified, she definitely was when she turned to swim out further into sea and saw boats. The bottoms of boats were in the water, and there were several of them. Apparently she'd actually picked a horrible place for them to stay. The tiny area that was hidden from the public was like a small harbor, and the boats were between Jemma and the open ocean. What was even worse than that was that nets- nets big enough for her to see from far away- were strung between the boats. She was trapped.

She swam down to the ocean floor, but Jemma wasn't stupid enough to think that she could stay there forever. She could only hold her breath for thirty seven minutes, if they were here for her they would wait, and they would see her when she came up for air. Jemma was already quivering, sitting on the sand at the ocean floor, looking back and forth between the boats and the shore. Skye didn't swim, but Jemma knew that humans did have the capability to, so she was watching carefully.

Eventually her worst nightmare came true, and there were a few splashes from shore, and a few splashes from the boats. Jemma looked wildly back and forth between them, and adrenaline surged through her lungs. They didn't even look like people, all of their skin was covered up in some kind of suit, and their masks were large and daunting. They had all kinds of equipment, none of which Jemma knew the purpose of. It didn't take them long to see her, and when one of them pointed, Jemma finally shot into action. She took off towards the nets, hoping to find a weak spot, but another swimmer jumped into the water from a boat and cut her off.

A few cries of terror escaped her throat and she backed away from the person only a few meters away, and she didn't think to turn and look until her back touched something rough. A net. Her eyes widened and she swam directly upwards, straight to the surface. Her head burst from the water and she stared at the beach in hope, but she didn't see Skye, only a few more men, and the trampled remains of the seashells she'd gathered.

Something touched her tail and Jemma lashed out with it, feeling a _thump_ as she hit her mark, but that alone wasn't enough to save her. She dove under the water again, veering to the right and almost smashing into the wall of rocks to slip past them. There was no escape. One of them had prepared for this and got directly in her path. Jemma barely stopped before crashing into him, but her lack of movement for just a split second may have caused her loss.

Jemma barely had time to register that something had passed in front of her face before the wire tightened around her neck. Suddenly thrashing around, Jemma spun and got a look at what had trapped her. One of the divers was holding a pole with a loop at the end, the loop over her head, and one end of the wire came out on his side, which was what he pulled to tighten it. Jemma tried to pry her fingers under it and rip it off, but another one of them managed to snag her wrist with the same device.

Wide eyed, Jemma tried to look and find some form of escape throughout her thrashing, but there was nothing. All of the humans had gotten closer, no matter how much Jemma squirmed or how many of them she managed to hit with her powerful tail. They just kept coming back. Jemma recognized the device one of them was holding as a camera, and she tried to block her face, but her dominant hand was the one caught and she was left to be blinded by a flash.

Jemma let out a call for her pod, but she wasn't sure if they would help her, or even if they could. Even if Skye showed up, what would she be able to do to stop this? She couldn't stop Ward, so how could she stop all of this? It was over, and Jemma knew it, but she didn't resign herself to defeat, not just yet.

With a powerful jerk, Jemma yanked her arm and the diver lost his grip on the pole. Now with both hands, she tried to free her throat. The diver had other ideas, though, and jerked on the pole before she could, causing a sputtering cry.

Jemma was horrified. Her heart was beating so quickly it was about to burst out of her chest. Her eyes were wide, and she was so shaky she wasn't sure she could even do anything for herself at this point. Another flash went off and Jemma's vision was suddenly bright, too bright for her to actually see. She couldn't see and there was something wrapped around her throat, and soon another on her tail. Jemma could feel more than see or really register that a net, thicker than the one Ward had used, was being thrown over her head. It tightened at the same time that another flash went off, and Jemma couldn't help it. A shriek ripped out of her lungs and into the water, so loud and high pitched that every single diver stopped what they were doing for a moment and put their hands over their ears. She'd never used it before, and she found that it hurt her own vocal chords. It was a scream reserved for emergencies, and Jemma had neither used it or heard it once in her life. It was instinctual, and her entire pod would hear it. Skye might even be able to hear it, being linked to her now.

Jemma was out of energy, the call took all of it out of her, as it was a last resort cry for help. The net tightened again and suddenly she was out of the water, being tossed onto the hard deck of a boat. She'd always been curious about them, but this was not how she wanted to be on one for the first time.

"Hi again, Mermaid." Jemma covered her ears when she heard the familiar voice, as if not hearing it would make it go away. "It's so different, seeing you with a tail." Jemma could practically hear the smirk on his face, and she squeezed her eyes shut so she didn't have to see him. She was perfectly still, all of her muscles frozen, at least until she felt something she never wanted to feel. Like any person, Ward was curious, and his rough hand was on her tail. Jemma wailed and began thrashing again, desperate to get away from him. It was wrong, so wrong. Jemma wanted to die. She would rather die right here, right now, than find out what Ward planned to do with her and continue to be harassed by him. He was doing something that was only meant for Skye, and it made Jemma sick. It physically made her sick, and Jemma's throat burned for a few seconds before her stomach expelled its contents onto the wood. Jemma coughed and gagged, trying to curl in on herself and shaking violently.

"Cut it out, we don't want it to go into shock and die before we get back." Another booming male voice invaded Jemma's sensitive ears. This one was new, and Jemma presumed it was Garrett, Ward's father, according to Skye, by the way he swiftly pushed Ward aside. She was almost grateful to him, despite his being a completely terrible person, and the fact that he was only helping her so she wouldn't die before he could do whatever he planned with her.

Jemma cried and screamed, struggling against the net, writhing on the ground. Garrett silenced her with a quick kick to the stomach, and Jemma whimpered in pain and longing for Skye.

"Shut her up." Garrett ordered, and Jemma heard his heavy footsteps move away. Her vision was blurry and she felt weak, but she still had some fight left in her. Ward dragged her a few feet so he could kneel in front of her without coming into contact with her vomit. He grabbed at her face and jerked her head to the side, but Jemma didn't put up with it and bit his hand, using as much force as possible and tasting the disgusting, coppery blood in her mouth before Ward brought his hand up and threw it back down, knocking Jemma's head into the wood.

"Careful with it, you idiot!" Garrett yelled from somewhere behind her, and Ward glared at her, like this scolding was her fault. He grabbed at her again, his palm against her forehead, and turned her head to the side. Only then did Jemma notice the sharp object in his other hand, and she let out a scream before he stuck it into her neck. The spot stung, and Jemma felt fear slice through her heart like a knife when she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer and everything faded.

__________

Skye’s face was scraping against the concrete of the sidewalk, the skin on her hands already cut having tried to stop the fall.  Her arms buckled with the force and her right arm and shoulder got a good grind along the sidewalk as well before the momentum was gone.  Her bike had landed on her legs and she would have tried to get up, except she couldn’t.  It was still happening.

Her chest was tight, muscles strained and tense. She had one hand curled up to her chest but she couldn’t breathe.  It had come so suddenly.  First she was coasting down the hill, almost to the place she had been leaving her bike to go through the woods and come out at the beach just beyond the rocks, when everything had stopped working and a blinding pain slammed into her chest and sent her heart into overdrive.  The shriek as she hit the ground was her own, but something else was ringing in her ears that she was too disoriented to distinguish.

She was too young to be having a heart attack, but that’s what it felt like…it couldn’t be anything else.  Skye was rigid against the ground, eyes wide and straining to breathe…and then all of a sudden it passed and her entire body relaxed.  She let out a loud gasp and began to breathe again, quickly, sucking in as much air at once as she could manage.  Her face and hands and arm stung and her legs ached, all tangled up in the bike, but she forced herself to sit up.

She had never felt anything like that before and when she looked at the sidewalk, she saw her blood stains the crash had left.  Her hand now instinctively went to her necklace thumb and pointer finger rubbing the small scale between them as she staggered up to stand.  She had thought it was over, but suddenly she felt sick, and not just a bad feeling in her gut sick, but actually, legitimately sick.  She barely had time to stumble to the grass before her hands were on her knees and she was leaned over, expelling her sparse breakfast and the granola bar she had eaten for lunch.  Her throat burned but it was over as quickly as it had come and it only took her a few minutes to recover, wiping her mouth off with the towel she was bringing to lay on with Jemma.

At the thought of her name she felt her chest tighten again and she grabbed for her bike to steady herself.  What was going on?!  Her hand was on the scale again and the pain suddenly stopped.  The sick feeling remained, but Skye was more anxious than ever.  Something was wrong.  Something was terribly wrong.  Something was _terribly, horribly_ wrong.

She was back on her bike, peddling fast and she almost fell off again when she barely stopped upon reaching her hiding place for her bike.  She didn’t even hide it.  She jumped off and let it fall to the ground, already into the forest and sprinting through the underbrush.  She didn’t think she had ever run so fast and suddenly in record time, she burst through the trees and her feet fell onto sand.  The beach was deserted, as it always was but the closer she got the sicker she felt and Skye couldn’t understand why.

She was making a beeline for the overhang now, lungs on fire and throat burning.  She didn’t stop at the rocks. She flung herself at them and was climbing over, sliding down once in her rush when she lost her grip, but soon she was over, landing hard on her feet and hitting down in the sand, falling face first into it again when she felt the tightening in her chest.   It was like there was a hand wrapped around her heart and it was periodically squeezing it tighter and tighter.

There were shells all over the shore.  Jemma left them in cute little towers, but these were scattered and crushed.  The tide wasn’t strong enough here to wash them up, so Jemma must have been here, but just the sight of them crushed was wrong.

“J-Jemma?!” She brushed off her face, spitting out the sand as she forced herself to get back up and spring to the water.  When the mermaid didn’t immediately come out, Skye’s pulse spiked.

“ _Jemma?_!!” _Something is wrong.  Something is wrong.  Something is wrong._

"Skye!" It wasn't Jemma, but Bobbi that suddenly appeared on shore. Bobbi pulled herself onto the beach, still within reach of the waves, but the furthest on land she'd ever been. She too had come here in search of Jemma. The whole pod had heard her scream, and it wasn't something they took lightly. They'd only just made the decision to let Jemma return to the pod when they'd heard it, and Bobbi had grabbed a few potions before being sent off, swimming directly here, where the call had come from.

"Is Jemma here?!" She asked with hope. It was highly unlikely, but she had to be sure.

“Bobbi?” Skye almost jumped at the sound, although she recognized the voice. She was down towards the water, closer to her partner’s sister in an instant, not caring that her shoes were getting wet.  If Bobbi was here what did that mean? Maybe it was good news from the pod, but then that still didn’t explain why Jemma wasn’t here…or why she had practically almost died trying to get here.

“No, she’s not here.  A-at least I don’t think so.  I only j-just got here.  I called for her but…” Skye shook her head, looking past the mermaid now and scanning the waters, but she still couldn’t see Jemma.  She supposed if Bobbi hadn’t run into her on her way, then Jemma wasn’t here…and it was their time to meet.  She was definitely starting to panic.

“What happened? She’s always here before me and she always comes out immediately when I call for her, sometimes even before!”

"This can't be happening." Bobbi grabbed at her own hair, tugging on it and wishing this was just some sick dream or prank instead of actual reality. When she finally did look up at Skye again, she saw true fear. Skye hadn't done this, whatever it was. She did see something else, though, fresh cuts and scrapes and the way her chest was heaving.

"You felt it, didn't you?" Bobbi asked. Whatever trouble Jemma was in, it was bad. If it was enough for her to use that scream and enough to do this to Skye, it was bad.

"She- she used a call for help. Not the normal one, the..." Bobbi couldn't finish. Something terrible had happened to her sister and she didn't know what. She was missing, probably no longer in the water if she was still alive. The only person who could help now was Skye, so Bobbi had to tell her. "It wasn't just a call, it was a scream... We use it to project the most important message... It's _only_ used when we're in mortal danger." Bobbi explained.

“Felt it…?” Skye could feel the tightness creeping back up on her and as Bobbi spoke she would see her get more and more tense until she delivered the news. Skye was shaking and her knees and hands hit the water.  She had felt it.  She had _felt_ it.  She had felt the moment that Jemma screamed.  She had felt the moment she had gotten hurt?  Gotten taken?  Both?

“M-mortal danger…” She almost couldn’t comprehend it.  She had never felt anything as bad as this.  She had thought finding Jemma in the net was bad.  She had thought realizing she was dying and leaving Jemma alone was bad, but the fact that Jemma could be hurt, could be leaving her alone was worse.

All of her anxiety from the past few days was coming to a head and Skye couldn’t function.  She couldn’t breathe again and to Bobbi it might look like the human was dying again right in front of her but Skye couldn’t focus.  All she could think about was what had happened.  There really couldn’t be any question.  Ward must have found her again.  He must have set a better trap.  He had somehow struck without her knowing.

“H-he wasn’t in class…”  Her hands tightened into fists in the sand and fire shot through her veins as her blood started to boil, making her whole body shake.  She had been in class while Ward was off hunting for Jemma.  If they got her…and obviously they had by the sheer amount of panic they were both in…there was only one place they would take her.

“I’m going to kill him.  I swear to god, I’m going to strangle the life out of his shit face,” she was back up, her hands in her hair just like Bobbi’s had been a few minutes ago.  What was she going to do?  She couldn’t really take Ward, and if she was right, she couldn’t take his father or whoever else had helped.

“I think I know where she is…” Skye confessed dryly and looked at Bobbi, biting her lip and so many apologies she couldn’t get out stuck in her throat.  

"You do?" Bobbi couldn't help it, that intense explosion of hope in her chest. It sounded like Skye knew what had happened and who'd done it. Skye was a human, she had to have some influence. She could do something.

"You have to save her." Bobbi wasn't even looking at Skye as she said it, she was already digging in her pouch for two vials, and once they were in her hand, she held them out to Skye, palm up. One was recognizably blue, the same one that had saved Skye, and the other was green, the one that would give Jemma legs. Bobbi assumed both would be useful and had brought them along. "Please." She begged.

Skye nodded, taking the vials and putting them into her satchel where they would be kept safe.  She was already forming a plan and it enraged her to know that she wouldn’t be able to act on it until nightfall.  She would have to wait till knockoff sea world was closed and all the guests had left…that meant late at night.  That meant Jemma would be with them all day and Skye was fairly certain one of her teeth almost cracked she was grinding them together so hard.

“I will.  I-I’ll do my best…” She almost moved to stand up, before she squatted back down, swallowing hard as she thought of what would have to be done.  If she could get to Jemma, she couldn’t bring her back here.  They knew where it was.  She couldn’t take her to their old place because they knew where that was too.  They needed another place to meet, another place that she could get Jemma safely to the water.

“On the east side of an island there’s a rundown fishery. It’s used more of a museum now than anything.  People won’t be there at night and it has access to the water.  I can get Jemma there when the moon is on its way back down.  Can you meet us? I don’t want her to swim alone?” Skye asked quickly, not even waiting for a nod before she continued.  She couldn’t hesitate, not when Jemma’s safety was on the line.

“And when you take her, you take her back to the pod.  I don’t care if they say she can’t come back, you _take her back_ and you keep her there and you _leave_.  I can get her back but Ward and his fucking father are going to keep searching for her, and you, all of you, and they’re not going to stop.  You _all_ have to _leave_.  Swear it.” Skye stared her right in the eye.  She knew Bobbi would agree.  It was the safest option for them, especially with Jemma having been caught.  Skye would do her best to destroy all the evidence and get Jemma to safety, but she couldn’t do it all.  They would be better off leaving…forever if necessary, and although it hurt like hell, Skye knew it needed to happen.

"I swear it." Bobbi nodded furiously. She would do anything to keep Jemma safe, and Skye's terms were easy. Well, maybe not easy, since she might have to physically drag Jemma away from Skye, but she would have done it anyway. It was just too dangerous and the whole pod needed to leave, not just Jemma. If humans knew they were here they needed to migrate, move on, probably never come back.

"Skye," Bobbi grabbed the human's attention one last time before she pushed into the water. Even though Bobbi had warned her about this and still blamed her, she admired how far Skye was willing to go to keep them safe. She was going to get Jemma back and let her go, even if she didn't want to. "I misjudged you. I'm sorry." With that, Bobbi was gone, speeding back to the pod to tell them everything she knew.

 


	12. Long & Lost

When Jemma woke, the first thing she wanted was air. She had to lift her head above the surface and suck in a breath, gasping. There was a roof several feet above her, and it made Jemma panic. Once there was oxygen in her lungs again, she dove back underwater, but then suddenly she remembered. They'd caught her.

Everything was wrong. The water looked too blue, and when Jemma tried to take refuge at the ocean floor, it wasn't the ocean floor. It was a rough, blue surface that reminded Jemma of a road or sidewalk. There were no plants, no fish, just blue. She was closed in by three blue walls matching the floor. When she turned around to see the fourth, Jemma swam away so fast that her back slammed against the wall of the tiny enclosure and scraped across it, stinging her skin. Ward was right there, along with Garret and a few others Jemma didn't recognize.

She tried to curl up in the corner, stay as far away from them as possible, but she couldn't escape their prying eyes. Were they underwater? It didn't look like it, they were standing and breathing and speaking, and Jemma was sure the words were about her.

The water was cold. Jemma wrapped her arms around her body and curled up in the corner, but it wasn't enough and Jemma longed for Skye's touch, to be in her arms and snuggled under blankets like she had been for the last few nights. The only comfort she had was the starfish hanging at her neck, and Jemma reached for it, grasping it in her fist.

It took a long time for the humans to leave, and Jemma spent the whole time going over the memories of her capture and shaking in fear, wondering just what exactly they planned to do with her if she was still alive.   
            When they finally did leave, Jemma charged at the space they had previously been in, hoping to find some kind of escape. Instead, she crashed headfirst into something she couldn't see, an invisible wall. Her vision blurred for a moment and it added another wave of pain onto her headache and bruised torso. So that had been what was separating them from the water.   
            Even though Jemma knew there was something in the way, she wouldn't relent. She backed up and slammed into the wall, over and over again. If she tried hard enough, she could get through whatever this was.

No matter how much it hurt or how much closer she was to the realization that she was trapped, Jemma kept slamming into the wall. She only stopped when her skin was almost a darker version of her scales, purples and blues and pinks. All her energy was gone, and Jemma slunk back to the corner, curling up and whimpering for Skye. She wanted so badly to be with her right now, and Jemma wondered how Skye would feel when she came to the beach and Jemma wasn't there. When she kept coming to the beach and Jemma was never there, because she was here. Would Skye think Jemma had abandoned her? She hoped not, after Skye had thanked her so profusely for staying so many times. Jemma didn't want to leave her.

It was so quiet. The only sounds she could hear were her own heartbeat and whimpers, which gradually grew in volume until she was crying out, yelling for Skye or her pod, but the sounds just bounced back at her off the walls and rattled around in her skull.

__________

            It was a long way back home, but Skye peddled as fast as she could, even down the hills.  She knew that she couldn’t do anything about Jemma right now…but she could plan, and boy was she forming one.  Ward had made her walk around his dad’s awful park before.  It sure hadn’t been Sea World.  Skye had been to Sea World and although she hadn’t liked it, at least the tanks were bigger and they had actual marine people there.  She was pretty sure Garrett only hired fisherman and people who only knew half of what they were supposed to know to actually take care of marine animals.

The thought of Jemma in one of those small overly blue tanks all by herself…Skye couldn’t even imagine what she was feeling right now.  She felt responsible and angry with herself that she wasn’t there to take care of her.  That she had even let her get captured in the first place.  She should have sent her away the second Ward had tried to get her the first time.  She had known he would try again and now he had succeeded.  Her stinging bruises reminded her of that.

Oh yes, she had gotten the special tour.  He had showed her all around.  She had even gotten to go in their pathetic excuse for a research lab. A quaint little run down building on the outside, barely with five computers in the entire facility and half-assed old equipment she doubted anyone should be using on any sort of living thing.  If they were gathering information and studying Jemma, and Skye had no doubt that they were, that’s where they would keep it.  She knew Jemma was too big for the small tank they had there, so they had to be keeping her somewhere else…it had been so long since she had been there though, she wasn’t sure if it was still all the same.  She would have to wing it once inside.

She did know, however, that she would need clothes and a towel at least.  Once she somehow got Jemma out, she would give her the potion, dry her off, put clothes on her and get her out of there.  She should bring a knife…just in case anyone caught them.  She would need at least something to look threatening so they would let them leave…but she didn’t plan on being caught.  It was in and out, fast as lightning if she could manage.  Skye thought of all the evidence they would have by now…she needed to think of some way to destroy that too and as she rode her bike past the hardware store on her way home, she got an idea.  She would need more money than was currently in her wallet, but she would certainly be coming back to make a purchase or two.  

It only took her a few minutes longer to get to her house and when she did, she sprang off of her bike and opened up the white picket gate, walking her bicycle inside and leaning it against the fence.  She was up the porch steps and reaching for the door when a voice from behind her stopped her.

“I see you healed up nicely.”

Skye whirled around so fast it should have made her dizzy.  Ward was standing there, leaning against the outside of her fence, looking smug as ever.

“Why you _bitch ass mother f-_ “

“Ah ah, I wouldn’t be calling me names if I were you,” his grin widened as he stood up straight, escorting himself in through the gate, “not unless you want me to finish what we started the other day.”

Normally, his intimidation tactics worked, and Skye was scared…but she was more angry than scared now.

“I _dare_ you.  Come at me, right here, in my front yard where anyone walking by can see you,” She challenged, and it must have taken him aback, because his face twisted into a sour frown.  She’d made him angry.  Good, because she was pissed as hell.

“You know it was easy to follow you.  You took the same route every day at the same time every day.  Whatever you promised her, you didn’t do a very good job of keeping it.  I must admit, when I saw you gone when I woke up I was a little bit worried I couldn’t find you again, but then I remembered that there were only so many parts of beach to this island that people didn’t go,” He kept talking and Skye didn’t like where this was going, but she was glad she was hearing it.  It was practically a confession, not that she needed it because she already knew it was him.

He mentioned something about a camera…he had set one up that day he stole her sketchbook, having followed her and come back when they were gone.  He needed proof of course, and boy had he gotten it.  To him, the smile on his face was priceless, but it made Skye want to take a knife and rip him a new one, Joker style.  She noticed his hand.  It was bandaged up, looked like it had been wrapped in a hurry and some blood had seeped out over the edges.  She hoped Jemma had done it, whatever it was, and she hoped it had hurt like fucking hell.

Skye hadn’t said anything, just standing there, keeping a stone cold face, hands balled into fists.  The only way he would be able to tell she was even listening was because she was shaking all over.  Apparently this wasn’t enough of a reaction from her, and he had just the bait.

“You know…I thought it would feel slimy, like a fish did, but it didn’t.  It was just as smooth as ever, and co-“

“You _keep your fucking hands off her!”_

He had been too smug for his own good, too busy gloating, because the moment Skye realized what he was talking about, that he had laid his rough, bruising hands on Jemma’s tail, she was done.  Ward let out a loud cry and fell to his knees, Skye’s own knee having come into sharp, quick, hard, and unforgiving contact with his balls.  She was only sorry she hadn’t been wearing steel spiked knee pads to castrate him at the same time.  He had put his clammy man hands on Jemma’s scales without her permission.  He had not only captured her, but violated her in one of the worst ways imaginable to merkind, and now to Skye.

“ _Fucking bastard!”_

Skye hit him first with her fist, and when it collided with his face, she felt her knuckles ache and bruise with the effort, but she did it again anyway.  He was so shocked and dizzied that he didn’t notice her elbow come after.  Thanks to biology class, she had learned it was one of the strongest parts in the body, and when it collided with his nose, it broke it.  The crack was loud and clear and he fell back, yelling like a baby and trying to scramble away, blood running down his mouth and chin.  She got a swift kick in as well before she was running back to the porch.

“ _You better fucking run away, Ward!!  If I catch you, I’m going to_ kill _you, I swear to_ god!!”

Skye was yelling at him, cursing at him and throwing rocks from the garden at him as he scrambled to open the gate to get out and to run.  She hit him a few times too, one even in the head, but not enough in her opinion.  She wanted to kill him.  She wanted to wrap her hands around his neck and squeeze till his eyes popped out or his throat exploded, but getting herself in that sort of trouble wasn’t going to help Jemma.  She could finish with him later, once Jemma was safe and back with her pod and far far away from this island.

She was radiating anger, pulsing and shaking with it.  The only way to calm herself down was to hold her necklace and hope that they had at least let Jemma keep hers to hold onto as well.  She needed to utilize this…she needed to use this adrenaline to get to the store, get supplies for her plan, and do her best to wait till nightfall instead of storming in there and taking her out right now.  She’d never make it if she did that.  Skye knew waiting was the logical and best chance she had…even if she hated it.

 

___________

 

Jemma lost track of time. It felt like it had been days since she was in the ocean and not her tiny box of a cage, when in reality it had probably only been hours. She was already freezing cold and if it hadn't been for the necklace tightly gripped in Jemma's fingers, she probably would have lost it by now. If she hadn't already. Jemma couldn't tell.   
            Just when Jemma was getting used to it and was starting to calm down, almost enter a dreamlike state of peace and calm, she heard a splash above her and began to panic. There was a diver, with one of those awful poles in his hands, and there was nowhere to run. All Jemma could do was press herself into the corner and try to curl into a protective ball, but that didn't stop the diver from getting the loop around her neck and yanking her towards the surface. Jemma had no choice but to follow, not unless she wanted to be strangled. Even once Jemma's head was above water the pressure didn't release and she whimpered, clawing at it, but her captor only pulled harder. He and two other men that had slid away the covering over the small pool dragged her up and out of it so she was lying on a platform, completely exposed and feeling like she had on the boat.   
            "I would give it a sedative, it's a fighter." She heard Garrett, and fire burned through her veins. She had absolutely no power, though, and was forced to endure the same rough treatment until another needle was shoved into her neck. It was like it drained her willpower, Jemma suddenly had no desire to get away, it would require too much effort.   
            "Can it speak?" Someone in a long white coat asked, talking to Garrett. Jemma wanted to cry every time one of them called her an it, they definitely didn't see her as an emotional being and would have no problem torturing her.  
            "My son says he's had a conversation with it. He said it's English, from the North Sea." He explained. Jemma's burning hatred for Ward increased in that moment and she so wished she'd never left that railing or talked to him at all. What Jemma didn't understand was how they could know she spoke a language, that she was an intelligent being, and were still willing to treat her this way just because she didn't look like them.   
            "How many of you are there?" Jemma didn't realize she was being spoken to until someone roughly grabbed at her face and forced her to look in his eyes. She couldn't- wouldn't- give any information away, no matter what they did. Jemma may have been stupid enough to get herself captured, but she sure as hell wasn't going to out her whole species. It was better they thought she was the only one.  
            "Speak!" The man demanded, and he brought her head up a few inches before slamming it back down again. Jemma yelped and tried to struggle, but someone else was holding her down, an arm slung over her tail. Her entire body was shaking, but none of them seemed to care.  
            "I need a blood sample." The man in the white coat said, and Jemma's eyes widened in fear when she saw another needle. White hot pain flashed through her chest as she panicked. Her breathing quickened and her body thrashed wildly, though she had no chance against the sheer power of her captors, especially when she was drugged like this.   
            One of them pinned Jemma's arm to the ground with so much force she was sure it would bruise, and the man in the coat stuck another needle in her, pulling it away when his tiny device was full of her blood.   
            "I still need a few other samples for analysis..." He was muttering, and Jemma practically growled when she saw where his eyes wandered. Adrenaline pumped through her veins and Jemma freed her arm for long enough to get a good swing in, knocking the man in the coat in the face. He could have a taste of his own medicine.   
            Garrett didn't take kindly to this, however, and his boot quickly came down on her arm, successfully pinning it to the concrete and causing a pain to shoot all the way to her shoulder. While Jemma was rendered helpless, the man in the coat quickly stole one of her scales, and Jemma let out a yell at a pitch she knew would hurt them. She wanted to make their ears bleed, if she could.   
            The sound had its desired effect and suddenly all the hands were off her, being used to cover human ears. Garrett didn't let her get away with it, though, he swiftly shoved her back into the water with his foot. The unfortunate timing of one of his goons almost killed Jemma in that moment. Her body quickly fell over the edge back towards the water, but one of the men had grabbed onto the pole and the wire around her neck, jerking her short descent to a stop by her throat. A strangled cry choked out before Garrett had the sense to knock the pole out of his employee's hands, to save his new park attraction if nothing else. The moment Jemma was in the water, she freed herself and swam to the bottom, pressing herself up against the wall opposite of the horrendous object that had almost hung her a moment ago and now sat a few feet away from her.   
            Jemma's hands carefully wrapped around her own throat, already feeling bruises there, and she took some comfort in the necklace, but not much. Skye seemed like a distant memory at this point and Jemma didn't think she'd ever see her again.   
            The thought made Jemma start wailing again as the cover was replaced at the top of the tank. She was bruised and beaten and she would rather be killed on accident like she almost had before than continue whatever horrific thing they were doing to her. Jemma couldn't even keep track of how many times they violated her, and she wished Skye was here to run her hand over her scales, kiss her on the cheek, and make her smile.

 


	13. Breath of Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long. We have been very busy, but here it is! Prepare for feels.

Night couldn’t come fast enough, and when it did, Skye still had to wait.  The park didn’t close till eight and she figured the staff didn’t all leave till around nine or ten.  She barely was able to make herself wait for an extra hour when her mother came home in their truck to go to bed.  She didn’t sleep till eleven thirty and by the time Skye finally snuck out of the house with her bag full of supplies, she was so anxious for having to wait to rescue Jemma for so long that she was shaking.

She had only just managed to put the truck into drive before she placed her hands on the steering wheel, willing them to stop shaking so she could make it.  It was a weeknight, so there wasn’t much traffic and it was late so when she passed the pier the carnival area was already closed and there wasn’t much else to do.  The bars of course were still open, but there weren’t many of them.

By the time she shut the lights off and pulled around to the ‘staff’ section of the parking lot for the marine world, it was a little past midnight.  There were only a few cars remaining there and they were all scattered.  Not enough people to notice her.

Skye slipped out of the truck, putting the hood of her sweatshirt up and securing her backpack before she shut the door, leaving it unlocked.  If they needed to have a quick getaway, she didn’t have time to fumble around for the keys.  She had printed a cheap ass map online, and pulled it out of her pocket now, unfolding it and looking at it with a flashlight as she moved towards the perimeter, tall wooden fence of the park.  She would need to find an opening, but before she could look, she heard sounds from the other side of the fence.

The brunette leapt behind a bush, shutting her flashlight off and listened as one of the gates opened and a janitor came out with his huge cart of cleaning supplies.  He left it there, propping the door open as he took the large trash bag off and meandered towards the large trash disposal, whistling as he did so.  Skye took her chance and slipped out of the bushes when he was halfway to the garbage, slipping through the gate and into the actual park.  She sprinted a few yards away, finding another hiding place before she felt comfortable enough to pull up the flashlight and look at the map again.  She couldn’t really see any of the attraction signs with most of the lights in the place off, but she figured by the dolphin signs everywhere that she was in the ‘dolphin discovery cove’.  She and Ward had gone by that to get to the research lab and she looked for its place on the map.

Skye felt she had a fair grasp of the area now, and put the map away and shut the flashlight off.  Her heart was pounding, and although she knew she was close to Jemma, she just didn’t know where she was and it frustrated her beyond belief.  She had to find her, and soon, before anyone noticed the truck.  It was so quiet that except for the occasional splash, all Skye could hear was her heart and the blood pounding in her ears.  She needed to listen to know if anyone was coming though, and so she strained to do it in the silence.

As quickly as she could, and as quietly as she could, Skye made her way towards the research building, periodically hiding when she heard a strange noise she didn’t recognize.  So far none of the sounds had been people, but still, she needed to play it safe if she was going to make it to Jemma.

It took her longer than she would have liked and a broken window, before she found herself actually inside the research building, flashlight on and snooping through the hallway.  It wasn’t a large building, but the inside was much more confusing than she remembered.  Despite this, she found herself in a room with a couple small tv screens that were still on, all with night vision and showing up around the park.  One in the corner in particular caught her eye.  It was of a tank, surrounded by white tall fencing.  Obviously they didn’t want anyone seeing inside.

Skye looked closer and had to stop herself from gasping and crying out when she saw a flash of a very familiar shaped tail.  She didn’t need to see the colors to know that it belonged to Jemma, and suddenly she was over at the wall, looking up the charts to see which tank it was and in which area so she could make her way there on the map.  It didn’t take her long.  Jemma was being held in the back of the park, probably because Garrett didn’t want anyone seeing her yet.  Well…no one was going to be seeing her ever, because Skye was going to get her out of there.

She was over at the control stand, popping all of the tapes from the security feeds, which is what she assumed all the TVs were, and shoved them into her bag, taking out something large from it to make room.  A gallon of gasoline.  Oh yes…she had a plan.

She started here, emptying some and doing her best to leave a small trail all the way through the building, stopping when she reached another door and after opening it up, did gasp.  Pictures of Jemma were on the walls, some blurry but some clear.  It felt like a knife in her heart to see her partner with such a terrified and pained expression on her face.  The thing around her neck…the net over her.  Skye had to keep herself from setting fire to it right then.

She went about the room, ripping all the pages down in a rushing rage stacking them in the center of the room.  She tossed the cameras in too, and anything else she could find, even going so far as to take the two computer modems and smash them into the pile as well.  She then poured the remainder of the gas on it.  A fire would be a good distraction for anyone who was still left in the park.  It would draw everyone to it to put it out but with all of the important things here in the center, it would be too late.

Skye didn’t even think twice.  She raced back down the hall and pulled a set of matches out of her pocket and lit it up, laying it down on the gasoline trail.  It immediately lit up, fire shooting off in either direction down the hall to both rooms.  The artist turned arsonist quickly pulled herself back through the window, watching as she ran as the research building began to light up.  It didn’t take long, and she heard a few yells as she slinked off in the dark.  She didn’t have a whole lot of time now, but she knew where she was going.

It didn’t take her long to get to the back, and she could see the fire that she created blazing from her, bigger than she could have hoped for.  The whole building seemed to be going up.

“Good…” She mumbled and looked for a way around the fence, when she found a door.  It was locked by a padlock, but Skye hadn’t brought anything to break that.

“Shit…” She looked around frantically, shining her light around and it took her a few minutes before she found a tall red box on the side of a building nearby.   _In case of fire_ it read.  How ironic.  Skye used her elbow to break the glass and she took the red and silver axe out of its casing and sprinted back to the tall white fence.  She hadn’t noticed before, but was sickened now to see it read, “New Attraction: Coming Soon!!”

“Like hell there will be,” She huffed and with all her might, brought the axe down on the lock and it snapped off, taking some of the door with it.  She pried open the gate without hesitation and went inside.  The tank was small and it made Skye grit her teeth to know that, as she rounded the corner, Jemma would be in this awful, blue, rough, shitty tank.  She dropped her bag, racing around to the glass, glad to see that the tank had built in lights.

She flung herself at the glass, palms both spread out wide against it as she banged on it, a horrified, but relieved expression on her face to see Jemma in the back corner, unharmed, as far as she could tell.

“Jemma?!” Skye didn’t know if she could hear her through the glass, but she was here now and she was going to get her out.  Everything was going to work out and she was going to be alright…she just had to hurry.

Jemma couldn't hear anything through the thick glass, and her face was hidden in her arms as her tail hid most of the rest of her colorful, bruised body from view. There were vibrations, though, hours after everything had finally gone quiet. They were in quick succession, little waves shooting through the glass and the water, just enough for Jemma to feel it.

Jemma looked up, expecting one of her tormentors, but the face she saw there set her heart on fire with hope. Skye. Skye had managed to figure everything out and come for her. Jemma shouldn't have doubted her, of course Skye would come. There was a small smile on her face, despite the grimace it took to move, and she threw herself at the wall, painfully crashing into it yet again. She was even more desperate to get out now, and she only paused to put her hands up against the invisible wall, matching up to where Skye's were.

Jemma wanted to actually feel her hands, so instead of just floating there staring at her, Jemma charged again, smashing into the invisible barrier with as much force as she could manage.

Skye was relieved to see her but when Jemma flung herself at the glass, it scared her and Skye almost had to back up, but she kept her hands in place.  She could see all the bruises on her now and for a second, she couldn’t contain herself.  Her face twisted into an awful expression of anger, hands almost balling into fists before Jemma decided to launch herself at the glass again.

This time Skye did back up.  She waved her arms over her head, shaking her head in the process.

“No!  Jemma, stop!”  She didn’t want to shout, she still didn’t know if Jemma could hear her, but she had to get her to stop.  She couldn’t let her keep hurting herself.  She could see from her shoulder that she had already tried this, and tried it for a while.  Skye didn’t think she had ever seen such a deep color bruising.  It was even more important that she get her to stop now.

She banged on the glass, trying to get Jemma’s attention, using one hand to point to her eyes, telling Jemma to watch her while her other hand was up on the glass again.  She needed to think of a way to get her out, now that she was actually here and had found her.  She hadn’t thought that far ahead in her plan.

When Jemma did give up, it wasn't because she'd seen Skye's signal, it was because she couldn't continue. She was completely drained of energy and she sunk down to the bottom of the tank, leaning against the barrier and finally watching Skye like she asked.

Jemma's clenched fist weakly fell against the wall, and she had the most pained expression on her face. She was begging Skye to get her out of here, even though she wasn't sure it was possible.

“I’m getting you out.  I’m getting you out.” Skye repeated it over and over again like a mantra, finally tearing her eyes away from Jemma and looking around for an access point to get in or get her out or anything really, but she didn’t dare leave the glass to where Jemma couldn’t see her.  She needed a plan and she kicked the glass angrily even though she knew that wasn’t going to work.

It was then that her eyes fell on the axe again…and slowly her eyes widened.  She turned back to look inside, banging on the glass to get Jemma’s attention.

“You need to back up!!” Skye shouted, and then started using hand motions, trying to wave Jemma away.  She settled for pointing towards the back of the tank over and over again, “Back Up!” After repeating the process Jemma finally seemed to understand and Skye knelt over and hoisted the axe up.  She took one last look at Jemma to make sure that she was far enough back for what she was about to try and do, and then she brought the axe back, and with all of the force she could muster, slammed the blade against the glass.  It didn’t even crack.

She was so angry that she did it again, and again, and again, and when it still didn’t look like it was going to break, Skye turned it around, and swung the thick part at it like a hammer and suddenly a long crack shot up the glass wall and left a circle of smaller cracks around where she had been repeatedly hitting it.

“Fuck yes…good!” She brought it back again, even though her arms were sore, and she slammed it against the glass, which made it crack more.  One more time.  One more time.  It looked about ready to break, so Skye put the axe down and picked up the book bag, fastening it around her shoulders before she took the weapon back up again.  Finally, Skye was panting by this point, but she lifted the axe over her shoulder one more time, looking to Jemma to make sure that she was ready, she brought the axe down on the glass with the most force she had yet, in one last ditch effort to break it.  It didn’t…at least not immediately.

Skye cursed at it again, throwing the axe down when it didn’t break and she slammed her fists angrily against it, and then suddenly the wall gave way and the glass shattered.  The brunette shrieked and threw her arms up over her face, the force of the water and the glass hitting her and knocking her down into the ground as all the water suddenly started to pour out at once.  Some of the shards cut her skin, but she managed to keep her hands up and her eyes shut and held her breath until the water slowly stopped flowing over her.

Skye shook herself off and wiped the water from her face, trying to sit up and push herself up to stand without cutting her hands on the glass.

“Jemma?! Jemma, Jemma are you alright?!”

Jemma had rushed out of the tank with the water, and she'd been thrown out with the hundreds of gallons of water to lay flat on the concrete, still shaking like a leaf and curling in on herself, though trying not to move. Unlike Skye, she couldn't just stand up and get away from the glass, she was lying in it. They both had matching cuts all over their bodies.

Skye's question remained unanswered. Jemma wanted to tell her that she was fine and that she was so glad Skye had come, but all that came out was a groan. The one thing that had been nice about the tank was the weightlessness of being underwater, and now that that privilege was gone, her broken body protested as its own weight made the pain of her injuries worse.

Her muscles remained stiff and frozen, unable and unwilling to move after all those hours curled up in a defensive position, no matter how much she wanted to throw herself at Skye now instead of that damned clear wall.

Fuck the glass.  When Skye laid eyes on her she shot up, pushing off the ground quickly and stumbling a little before she made it over to the mermaid, dropping down to her knees next to her and wincing at the pain she got for it.  She didn’t notice too long though because she was already reaching into her backpack front zipper and pulling out the two vials.

She had the blue one in her hand first and set the other one aside.  If it could heal her knife wound then it could surely heal this bruising.  Skye leaned over and had Jemma up in her arms in the next moment, cradling her and kissing the top of her head.  She wanted to hold her here and now, but she could already hear sirens in the distance coming to take care of the fire she had set.

“Jemma, you need to drink this.  It’ll help you.  We don’t have a lot of time…” She reached around the mermaid and opened the small vial and held it to her lips, making sure the mermaid was ready before she poured it into her mouth.  She made sure Jemma swallowed it and Skye looked to her shoulder and around her neck, still gritting her teeth at the dark colors she saw there, but soon sighed heavily in relief as she saw them start to fade.

Skye picked up the next vial and shoved it into her pocket.  She needed to get Jemma off this glass.  She shoved her arms under her and in a feat of strength she was amazed to possess, lifted the mermaid up in her arms bridal style and quickly carried her to the other side of the fenced in area, away from the glass and closer to the door before she had to lay her down gently back onto the concrete.  She kept her in her arms though and pulled out the second vial and opened it for her.

“Now this one, Jems…c’mon…” She handed it to her and then held her close, rubbing her arms and running a soft, worried and bloodied hand along her tail to get her to calm down as much as she could before changing to have legs.   Skye had a bag full of clothes ready for her and then they could get out of here.

Jemma downed the potion easily, just trying to do whatever Skye told her. Skye knew what was happening and Jemma trusted her partner to get her out of this mess. Skye's hand on her tail initially startled her and she wanted to flinch, but when it felt good instead of sickening Jemma melted into it.

"Skye..." Jemma whispered, her voice raspy from all the yelling and screaming she'd been doing. She didn't know what to say. There were so many things to say. She wanted to tell Skye all about it and cry and thank her and tell her she loved her, but she couldn't come up with any words. Sedatives were still freely flowing through Jemma's veins and it had been a miracle that she'd been able to muster up the strength to crash into that glass wall. She was completely drained now, though, and she just wanted to shut her eyes and sleep.

Jemma felt a familiar tingle in her tail and soon she had legs again, and she was grateful. There was a dark thought in her mind, for a moment she wished she was never a mermaid. She wished she'd been a human so she could have met Skye the normal way and not had to deal with all of this. It didn't matter for long, what-ifs weren't important now. Jemma wasn't even conscious enough to be embarrassed about her sudden nudity, she just wanted to leave.

Skye didn’t even care.  She had no time to be embarrassed either because she was already reaching in her bag and pulling out a spare shirt, which she promptly pulled over Jemma’s head with little help from the mermaid.  Soon she had shorts on too and that was enough.  She zipped the book bag and put it back on her shoulders and then performed her miracle again, picking Jemma up bridal style.

“Hold around my neck and don’t let go.  We’re getting out of here…” Skye didn’t have any time left to see if Jemma’s legs worked enough to walk and honestly it didn’t look like she could muster up enough energy to do it herself.

With adrenaline pumping through her veins again, Skye carried her out of the ‘new exhibit’ fence and out into the park.  The smoke from the fire was high and so were the flames.  The sirens were close now and Skye knew that the fire department would be coming to put it out soon.  They needed to go.

She was less careful this time, less cautious and much more in a hurry.  She didn't have time to slink and hide about, she had to get Jemma away.  Luckily everyone was now preoccupied with her little blazing distraction and Skye somehow managed to carry Jemma all the way out of the park back through the side gate in the fence she had used to get in.

“It’s going to be okay.  I’ve got you, we’re almost there…we’re almost there…you’re ok…” She was gasping it because she was carrying Jemma and half running and out of breath by the time she reached the truck.  Thankful that she had left it unlocked, she hoisted Jemma up into the passenger seat and made sure to buckle her up before she shut the door and was racing to the other side.  She threw the bag in the floorboard and scrambled for the keys in her pocket.

A sigh of relief from Skye filled the cabin of the vehicle when she cranked the car.  She left the lights off, but gave her the gas so she could get up and go and was already down the road when two fire trucks passed them and pulled into the parking lot for the park.

“Home free…no one is following us.  It’s going to be okay,” Skye opted to drive with one hand and she reached out with her free one and grabbed for one of Jemma’s hands.

Jemma was trying to be okay, she wanted to be alright like Skye said, but in her drugged haze and inexperience with the inside of cars, she struggled against the restraint of the seat belt. She wanted it off, and she wanted it off now.

It didn't matter that Skye was trying to drive them away from what had actually been the problem, the only thing that mattered to Jemma at that moment was when she was captured. That moving without swimming or walking sensation was strange and new to her, and in Jemma's mind the truck and the boat felt the same. It didn't matter that the seatbelt was meant for safety, to Jemma it just felt like more restraints.

"Get- get it off!" She whined, trying to yank the seatbelt off her chest and waist, pulling her hand away from Skye's to contribute to the fight that was going on in her head. No matter how much she squirmed, she couldn't get out of it, and her heart rate was spiking.

            “Okay, okay!!  I’m sorry,” Skye leaned over, trying to keep them steady on the road and swatted Jemma’s’ hands away with her own before she pushed the red button that let the seat belt loose.  She knew this was all suddenly new, not to mention whatever hell she had experienced at the hands of Ward and Garrett and whoever else.  Skye knew it was a lot to take in and not all of it she wanted to take in. She was doing her best to get her away and get her back home to her people and keep her safe.

“I’m sorry…it was just for safety.  I didn’t know…It’s okay…” Skye repeated, keeping her eyes on the road for the most part, but stealing quick glances at the girl beside her.  She left her hand there between them, in case Jemma decided to grab it.  She didn’t want to touch her and send her into an accidental frenzy if she didn’t want to be touched.  Skye imagined she probably didn’t.  She could only imagine how they had poked and prodded at her and it made her angry all over again, but she couldn't focus on that right now, she just needed to drive and to get them to her house to lay low for a little while and let Jemma rest before she took her out into the ocean and asked her to swim all night to leave the island.

Once the seatbelt was gone, it was like a switch had flipped inside of her, and Jemma was calm. Her breathing evened out and her heart stopped thumping out of her chest. Jemma even reached for Skye's hand, slowly lacing their fingers together and squeezing as tightly as possible, which wasn't very much.

"Thank you...thank you..." Jemma suddenly broke down sobbing while Skye drove. Maybe the potion gave her more human qualities than just legs, or maybe she had them herself being connected to Skye, but either way there were tears streaming down her face, and her body jumped a little bit every few seconds.

"Skye, they were awful, they...they did horrible things." Jemma practically choked on her own tears. She was starting to gain little pieces of herself back, and she was starting to sound normal again, but it was obvious she was very deeply affected by what happened.

“I know…I know and I’m so sorry,” Skye assured her over and over again, never letting go of her hand now that Jemma was holding it.  She gave it gentle, reassuring squeezes and Skye didn’t think she had ever been so relieved to see her house.

“We’re going to rest at my house for a little while alright? Until you feel better,” Skye figured keeping her informed on what was going on was probably going to help her process everything.  She pulled up into the driveway and turned the car off.

“Give me just a second,” She gave Jemma’s hand one more squeeze before she unbuckled herself and got out of the car.  She rushed over to the passenger side and opened it, helping the mermaid to get out.

“We need to be quiet when we go in.  My mom is asleep,” She warned and kissed the top of Jemma’s head, scooping her up and not even letting her walk even though she had the legs for it.  Maneuvering her into the house wasn’t all that hard and Skye managed to kick the house door shut quietly before she hoisted the girl up the stairs and didn’t put her down till they were in her room and Jemma was on the bed.

“You can relax now.  You’re safe.  I’m not going anywhere…” She shut and locked her door and then quickly crawled up onto the bed and pulled Jemma close into her arms, but not too tight just yet in case she panicked like she had in the car.

“I’ve got you…I love you so much…” She cupped her cheeks first and gave her a gentle kiss before wrapping them back around her and holding her close, gently rubbing her arms.

"I thought I was a goner." Jemma whispered, clutching Skye's clothes in her fists and pressing their bodies together, trying to get that warmth she'd so desperately needed earlier. She would never take it for granted again.

"I love you too" she cried, holding Skye as close as possible. It really had been the end for her in that tank, the mermaid had truly believed that she wouldn't have made it out alive.

If Jemma had had her tail, she would have made as much contact with Skye as possible with it, but she settled for tangling their legs together, hoping their exchange of warmth and Skye's smooth skin would keep her calm for now. It absolutely did, and Jemma found herself starting to drift off before she was willing to let herself.

“You should have known I couldn’t just leave you,” Skye used a familiar set of words, one Jemma said just at the beginning of the week.  She stretched and reached for a spare blanket, pulling it over them since Jemma’s body still felt cold and she tucked her in as best she could.

“It’s alright to go to sleep.  I’m not going anywhere.  I promise…you just rest.  I’ve got you,” Skye kissed the top of her head several times, taking in her scent and holding her as close as she could manage now that Jemma was practically squishing them together, trying to assimilate them into one person.

Skye needed to stay awake though, so that she left in time to get Jemma back before her legs turned back into a tail.  Bobbi would be waiting soon, but Jemma needed rest and Skye was going to give her as much time as she could before she had to take her away and watch her leave.

Completely unaware of Skye's plans, Jemma held onto her and slipped into sleep, truly thinking that there was some other solution and that she would be with Skye for the rest of their lifetimes, however long that may be.

A couple hours passed and Skye could feel herself dozing, but a gentle vibration from her pocket let her know it was time to take Jemma to the old fishery where she had told Bobbi to meet her earlier.  The time had come, and she dreaded it.  Jemma was still sleeping and she didn’t have the heart to wake her up.

Skye was relieved when Jemma didn’t wake up once she picked her up and carried her quietly down the stairs and back out of the house, literally the opposite of everything she had done to get them there.  Once in the truck, she situated Jemma so that she was leaning against her and Skye could still hold her close while she slept.  She hadn’t put the seat belt back on her.  She certainly didn’t want Jemma to panic again.

She drove in silence, trying her best to breathe regularly, but it was starting to come in gasps sometimes before she had to force her tears back again.  Not yet.  She couldn’t cry.  Not yet.

The ride didn’t last very long and the place was abandoned at night, like usual.  She pulled up to a back entrance that had better access to the water and parked the truck, turning it off and turning a little more into Jemma to hold her.

She kissed the top of her head again and rubbed her arms gently, now trying to shake her awake.  Skye’s throat was dry and there was a knot in her stomach and she tried to keep all of her pending emotions at bay.

“Jemma…Jemma it's time to wake up,” She kissed her cheeks gently before kissing her lightly on the lips.  She wanted more than this, but she needed to wake up first.  They had a few minutes to spare.  It was still a long way off before the sun was going to come up.

Jemma's eyebrows furrowed at being woken, but when she realized she was sitting up and not at all in the same place, her eyes flashed open. Instant calm fell over her again when she realized that Skye was right here, holding onto her. She had no fear.

"What...where are we?" Jemma wasn't scared, only wondering what had happened and what they were doing. She was clueless, but her trust in Skye kept her from being worried.

“Well you’re going to have a tail again soon so I needed to bring you to the water.  I can’t exactly explain a girl with a fish tail laying in my bed in the morning,” Skye smiled and tried to laugh, but it died halfway in her throat before she gave the girl in her arms a gentle squeeze.

“I know it’s dark out, but Bobbi is meeting us here and she’s going to take you to the caves so you can get some more rest.  Our uhm…our other places obviously aren’t safe anymore s-so…this was the best one I could think of on uhm..sh-short notice…”

She couldn’t help it.  She couldn’t stop herself, and she leaned in and kissed Jemma again, except this time it had been like their last night on the beach.  Desperate, needy.  She didn’t want Jemma to leave and she knew that Jemma didn’t want to either but she didn’t have a choice.  She needed to go.  Everyone needed to go so that they could all be safe.

Jemma didn't understand the sudden intensity of Skye's kiss, but she didn't argue. Both of her hands rested on the sides of Skye's neck and her breath was hot against her face. Jemma suddenly hated her body when her legs began to tingle, she hated that it had to be like this between them. It wasn't fair that they had to constantly struggle for each other, but at least both of them were alright now.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Jemma asked quietly when they parted. Somehow, despite everything that had happened, she was still innocent and naive. It hadn't even crossed her mind that there was no solution to this, that she and Skye couldn't find a safe way to be together.

Skye had to grit her teeth and bite back an instant ‘yes’ because she knew she wanted to see her tomorrow.  She so desperately wanted to see her tomorrow, but she knew she wouldn’t.  She wouldn’t be seeing her for a long time…if ever.  The thought of never seeing Jemma again made her chest tighten suddenly and she only hoped the mermaid didn’t  feel her stiffen as she tried to quickly right her breathing.

“M-maybe not tomorrow…y-you know? I think you should rest tomorrow and stay away from the island while I…while I…” She had to think of something, and quickly, “While I check everything out.  I sort of…uhm…set fire to their research building and destroyed all their uh…evidence of mermaids so…they’re going to be pretty mad.  I don’t know if I’ll really uhm…be able to go out and walk around without getting interrogated so…just so you’re safe…maybe not tomorrow.” Skye forced a smile and gave her another kiss before getting out of the car and rushing over to the passenger side.  She had to stop to heave for a second, trying to keep quiet so Jemma would hear her before she opened up the door and held out her arms for Jemma to get back in.

“Since you’re probably close to changing I can just carry you…is that ok?” Skye was stuttering a lot and she knew it, but she couldn’t help it.  It was all she could do to keep what little composure she had left.  Carrying Jemma would also guarantee she didn’t try to run back to the truck to try and stay with her.

"Okay." Jemma sighed and reached out, wrapping her arms around Skye's neck and letting Skye carry her, since yes, her legs were already beginning to numb. They hadn't set a time or even a place that they were supposed to meet, and with all the stuttering, Jemma was starting to get curious, but it wasn't enough to really bother her. Skye would meet up with her, she always did. And just like Skye always showed up at the beach, so would Jemma, without fail.

"I'll see you next time then." For Jemma, next time meant in a day or two. She didn't realize just how far away or nonexistent next time might be.

“Yeah, next time,” Skye smiled for real then, or as real as she could make it since she wasn’t really sure if there would ever be a next time, “next time, I promise.”

She carried Jemma with a fair amount of ease now down the little slope and onto a thin stretch of beach.  The tide was pretty high so Skye didn’t have to walk far to reach the water.

Before she called to Bobbi to let her know that the literal coast was clear, she squeezed Jemma into a tight hug while she held her.  She fully intended to hold her until her tail changed back…so she could touch it one more time and make Jemma happy.

She kissed Jemma again, like she had in the truck, just standing there and holding onto her, just as desperately as she kissed her.  When she finally did manage to pull her lips away she only sighed.

“I love you so much, Jemma…I’m glad you picked me for this partner thing…I really, really am.”

"Me too, Skye." Jemma smiled. She toyed with the starfish on her necklace with two fingers and reached up to grasp her own scale on Skye's with her other hand. She sighed contently as Skye held her close, and Jemma was definitely glad she'd rescued Skye that one night that felt like a lifetime ago. "Me too."

Sooner than Jemma wanted it to, her tail was returning. Skye's shorts ripped and Jemma gave her an apologetic smile as her tail suddenly reappeared. It was significantly heavier and Jemma knew Skye was having a little more trouble holding her up.

"I love you, Starfish, now put me down." She giggled.

Skye laughed at her nickname and smiled, pecking Jemma on the lips this time, restraining herself and not allowing to kiss her so needily again.  If she did she only knew that she would take back what she had said and not let Jemma leave.

Before she put her down, Skye moved her hand and rubbed over Jemma’s scales softly, watching as it made the mermaid smile.  She had to remember this feeling…because she wasn’t going to get to do it again, probably ever.  She wasn’t going to get to hold Jemma again, probably ever.  And she probably never was going to get to kiss her again and hear her call her starfish.

She had held it back so much already that she couldn’t now, and she started to cry and Jemma would feel her chest start to heave as she held her.

She managed to shout for Bobbi and her arms were shaking with the continued effort of holding Jemma up, but if she put her in the water too soon Jemma might try to swim away, especially now that Skye was crying, she might think something was wrong.  It was…and Skye felt horrible for lying to her and she didn't want her to leave so she kept crying and mumbling that she loved Jemma over and over again.

"Skye?" Jemma knew something was wrong now, and she gripped the back of  her neck firmly. "What's wrong?" Just seeing Skye cry made tears well up in Jemma's eyes, and she didn't even know why. They were both okay, Jemma didn't see a reason either of them could be crying.

"Jemma." Bobbi's familiar voice drifted into Jemma's ears and she craned her neck to see her in the water. She looked relieved and ecstatic to see her, like she would have expected after nearly being lost, but there was a sad look in Bobbi's eye, too. Jemma looked back and forth between them in confusion, but neither of them said anything.

"What is it?" Jemma's voice cracked. She was missing something, and it was starting to scare her.

Skye shook her head.  She couldn’t bring herself to say it and instead she quickly walked into the water towards Bobbi, shivering because it was cold, because she had to leave Jemma, and because the water still very much scared her.  She managed to make waist deep fairly quickly before she let Jemma go and had to pry her hands off the back of her neck before she started to retreat back towards the sand.

At this point she was trying to stop herself from crying, but it wasn’t working.  She wasn’t as loud now, but the heaves her chest gave her were harder and hurt more.

"Skye, wait-" Jemma reached out to grab for her, but Skye was already back on the sand and Bobbi grabbed for her hand, holding it with an unforgiving force, yet not hurting her.

"Jemma, it's time for us to go now." Bobbi tried coaxing her, gently pulling her deeper into the water. It worked at first, until Jemma's confusion wore off and she fought against it.

"Where are we supposed to meet?" Jemma asked Skye, and her heart lurched in her chest when her partner refused to make eye contact with her.

"Skye, when are we meeting?!" Jemma's voice was desperate, and Bobbi managed to pull her another few feet deeper into the ocean. "Stop that." She tried to pry away Bobbi's fingers, but Bobbi wouldn't be letting go of her any time soon.

"Skye! Please!" Jemma called out. She wasn't answering, and it felt like someone had reached into Jemma's chest and ripped her heart out with their bare hands.

"Jemma, we have to _go now_." Bobbi's voice wasn't mean, but it was firm. When it didn't have any effect on the smaller mermaid, Bobbi had to stop her attempt to swim back to shore with an arm around her waist.

Jemma understood now. Skye was upset because Jemma wasn't coming back, whether she liked it or not. The pod was leaving because of what she'd done. Bobbi wasn't here to keep her company, she was here to make sure Jemma didn't do anything stupid and to force her to come along.

"I'm going to come back!" Jemma shouted, still struggling against Bobbi's strong grasp. Tears were stuck on Jemma's cheeks and her heart thudded heavily, already weighed down by a deep feeling of loss. "I'm going to come back!" Jemma yelled again before they were deep enough and Bobbi pulled her under.

Somehow, miraculously, after managing to stand there the entire time with her back to the water, listening to Jemma yelling for her, Skye made it to the truck.  She even managed to get in and buckle herself up and crank it and everything but the second she let her right hand down she expected it to get grabbed and held, and when it didn’t, Skye cried even louder.  She beat the dashboard with her hands, hitting the steering wheel a few times and setting the horn off, but she didn’t care.  She jerked and fought against the seat belt but it didn’t relent, because it wasn’t supposed to and she screamed at herself and at the world like she had the night she had scared Jemma way after their first kiss…except this was so much _worse_.

 


	14. What the Water Gave Me

 Three days.  It had been three days, and that was three days too long.  Skye was in a slump.  She went to class but couldn't pay attention.  She worked at the diner but her customer service was less than sub par to say the least.  She didn't even draw.  She just walked around with her head down, hands in her pockets at a sluggish pace and her mother couldn't tell what was wrong with her.  As far as she knew nothing had happened and Skye wouldn't open up about it.  She couldn't.

She had been going to her and Jemma's two places at the beach, just to make sure there weren't any rock towers because Jemma had escaped and come back.  There weren't any, and it just made her heart sink more, even though she knew Jemma not coming back was a good thing.  She was safe.  They could be a world away by now, as fast as they swam.  

Skye had just left the beach after checking to make sure Jemma was still gone and was walking up to her house when she heard a familiar voice as a loud, rundown SUV pulled up along the sidewalk to her house.  He was mad, she could tell just by his tone...she was glad he was mad.  He could be in a rage and Skye would have been glad.  She didn't even turn around, just kept walking for her porch.  

There was a door slam and more yelling and by the time she reached for the screen door a big, thick hand was on her shoulder spinning her around and throwing her back into the yard.

Skye stumbled and fell, landing in the dirt and grass before she looked up with a sour expression at Ward.

"We know it was you!" He was shouting, but Skye didn't have the fight in her to defy him or deny it.  She just wanted to be left alone but when she tried to get up she gasped hard, a swift kick to her gut sending her back down.  Her arms held around her stomach and she tried to breathe, get air back into her lungs that the blow knocked away.

"We know it was you Skye, so where's your precious little mermaid?!" Ward drew back to kick her again and Skye cringed, bracing herself for the pain to come but it didn't.

"Stop that, boy," another car door shut and Skye scrambled to get up as Garrett came into the yard.  She moved to leave but he grabbed her firmly by the face and held her there, chin up, and though her eyes were defiant, the rest of her was not.

"You cost me a lot of money and a lot of time and a lot of other things too.  I'm not going to put up with your shit like my idiot boy, so you better tell me where the mermaid is and where you hid our tapes or things aren't going to get pretty for you."

Her mother wasn't home, the truck was gone and they were alone on the street.  Garrett could probably kill her right now if he wanted to.  Skye wondered if Jemma would be able to feel it...if she could feel it if she died or if she would just never know what happened to her while they were so far apart.  Skye decided to take her chances.

"She's gone," she spat and tried to shake her chin free but he held firm, probably creating bruises on her cheeks, "she's far away and you're never going to find her again!" Garrett wasn't pleased and he let go only to smack her across the face hard enough to make her lip bleed.  He wasn't done either because then he grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and shook her, holding her up till she had to stand on her tip toes.

"Where is the evidence?!  Where are the tapes?!"

"Y-you might want to ask the police department...I th-think someone anonymously dropped off some footage of you guys abusing animals," Skye's eyebrow rose and she could help it as a self satisfied smile spread across her face as a quick expression of horror passed over his.

Ward shouted and moved to come at her but his father held a hand out for him to stop.  When he did, Garrett threw Skye to the ground and she shrieked when she landed hard on her wrist. She was just sitting up, holding her injured arm close to her chest with her other when she stared with wide eyes at what Garrett had taken out from under his vest.

She knew he was mad but she hadn't expected this level as the gun pointed at her face.

"Millions!  Possibly _billions_!  That's how much you cost me!  We were going to be famous!  We were going to prove the myth was real and make a fortune off your little fish friend.  It was the discovery of a lifetime and you're telling me you set fire to my research and helped it escape?!"

She couldn't help it.  She opened her mouth, "She's not an it!! She is a person and living creatures don't deserve to be in your shit of a park!  She is long gone and you're never going to get your filthy fucking hands on her ever again!!"

He was in a rage.  A blind rage at having been denied his shot at riches and fame, even at the expense of such a rare and beautiful creature, and he held the gun closer, putting his finger on the trigger.

"Well neither will you!"

Skye cried out and turned her head and squeezed her eyes shut, wincing and waiting for what was to come.

"Drop the gun!!  Drop the gun right now, sir and put your hands over your head!!"

None of them had heard the sirens, too caught up in each other, but two officers were now pointing their own guns at Garrett and Ward.  

Garrett was cursing but he dropped the gun as instructed and both he and Ward lifted their hands high over their heads.

"Turn around and get down on the ground! Now!  On the ground!  Put your hands on the back of your head!". The cops were coming into the yard as both men lowered themselves to the ground.

One was pointing his gun and calling over on his shoulder radio to more officers.  As Skye got up, they had both father and son in handcuffs and were hauling them over to the police car, reciting them their rights as they went.

"You are under arrest for multiple counts of animal cruelty, assault with a deadly weapon, attempted murder and assist -" and to Skye's surprise the list kept growing as they moved out of earshot.  One officer remained at the car while the other was coming back into the yard, helping Skye up.

"Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah..." Skye nodded but winced when she moved her wrist.  It must be sprained...or broken because it was already bruising.

"Do you mind if I ask you a couple questions about what happened here?"

Skye shook her head, still trying to process everything since it had all happened so fast,

"N-no I don't mind..."

A husky voice came on over his radio and the cop responded, turning back to her and taking out a notebook and a pen and began to jot down the answers to his questions as she said them.

Eventually another police car pulled up and the one with Garrett and Ward left.  One officer came up to Skye and started assessing her arm, bandaging it up before advising her to see a doctor.

The whole ordeal lasted about an hour before they all left and Skye was left alone with a sprained wrist and having almost died again.  

Her heart was still pounding as she went into the house, and although she was sad that Jemma was gone...Ward and Garrett had been arrested and would probably be spending a lot of time in prison.  They weren't going to be a threat for a long time and she only wished she could tell Jemma so that she could come back.

 

_______________

 

Dejected. It was one of many words that could easily be used to describe Jemma's emotional state as her pod traveled. Bobbi had dragged her back to the pod that night, and as they migrated they forced Jemma to come along with them, not willing to let her do any more damage or expose them again by going back to Skye. It took one hundred and fifty miles before Jemma gave in and stopped trying to get away every chance she got. She'd gotten to a point of sorrow that felt like a black hole, capturing all her energy and light and not letting it escape.

Once Jemma had thought about it further, she became bitter. It felt like Skye had given up on her, on them, and in the split second before she felt guilty for thinking it, she wondered if Skye still wore her necklace.

The worst part wasn't even that Skye had lied to her, even though that was terrible, it was that she stopped fighting for them. Clearly humans weren't as dedicated as mermaids were, and Jemma guessed she couldn't blame Skye for being born into a species with those characteristics, but she still felt angry about it.

Skye had just slammed this reality onto her that night. She brought her back to Bobbi and the water, letting her think she would be back, just so she didn't have to face the consequences of it. She had tried to spare herself having to see Jemma's reaction. She had known it was a goodbye, but she left Jemma to realize what had happened on her own. She didn't get the peace of knowing it was a permanent goodbye until it was too late. It was selfish. Humans were selfish and undedicated and Jemma should have known.

Skye was a human, she could move on and find someone adequate for her, someone with legs and the ability to understand everything about her. Just the thought felt like a jab in the throat. Skye would end up with someone else eventually, Jemma knew this. Humans didn't stay partners for life like merpeople did. It was in this way as well that Jemma felt like the unlucky one. Skye had been freed of the burden of her and she could choose from any number of people to be with, but for Jemma, there was nothing. That was it. Skye had been her partner and now Jemma could never be with anyone else again. Nobody would ever touch her scales or hold her at night. Jemma didn't have that opportunity anymore, she gave it up when she decided she wanted her partner to be a human.

Jemma had come to this conclusion by the third day, when they were so far away from Skye's island already that they wouldn't be going back for some time. Bobbi no longer had to hold onto Jemma's arm while they traveled, but Jemma hung back and swam slowly. Every time they were out of the water, whether inside a cave or on an uninhabited island or rock, Jemma would cry. It confused the rest of her pod and she didn't want to explain it like Skye did.

They thought she was sick. Coulson had even tried making a potion for her, but nothing would be able to stop Jemma's tears but herself. They didn't think she was any better when in the middle of their migrational miles for the day Jemma suddenly stopped, feeling queasy. The residual feeling in her stomach built up in a matter of minutes, and suddenly Jemma's heart seized and she felt pain in several different places, though she wasn't sure why until she remembered her necklace. Now being required to, Jemma had been wearing it. She didn't know whether to be terrified or relieved by the feeling. It meant that Skye still wore hers and that they were still linked, but it also meant Skye had been hurt.

Ward. Ward had done something, Jemma just knew it. She couldn't stand the thought of that bastard attacking Skye like he had so many times before, and to Jemma as well. A newfound flame lit up in her spirit again and she shot off, perfectly prepared to travel the 200 mile distance back to Skye. Bobbi was a faster swimmer, though, and she caught up in no time, grabbing Jemma and firmly pulling her back, not letting her go. Skye was fine, Bobbi argued. It had just been a blip, she would have known if Skye was in true danger or was mortally wounded.

It took another two days after that for Jemma to finally give up. They weren't going back, that much was clear. Jemma skulked and cried her way through the next week of migration, and even though all of her pod members tried to help, she only found herself getting frustrated with them.

Eventually, they found a new place. A series of islands, only some inhabited by humans, but those they simply avoided. They shared the rocks with strange new creatures, creatures Jemma had explained were lizards. She'd seen some with Skye, but these were much bigger and they swam. The mermaids often began basking with them on the black rocks, and they slept there since there were no caves. It was safe and blissful. It would have been a paradise, if only Skye had been able to come.

Jemma threw herself into mapmaking with Bobbi, carving the new area into the rocks. This kept her busy for several weeks, but she quickly grew bored once they'd covered most of it. Jemma wanted to explore something else, and after getting explicit permission from May, Jemma created a new class of job for herself.

Coulson provided her with the potion that granted her legs and kept a more healthy supply of them on hand. Jemma took one almost every day, and she wandered onto the islands they lived on. With the same burlap material as her bra that the pod usually had on hand, Jemma fashioned herself a pair of shorts like the ones Skye had her wear. It wasn't necessary, since no one but the animals were on land, but it made her feel more comfortable, and she'd never admit it, but more human.

No mermaid or merman knew more than Jemma did about the land and the creatures on it, so she quickly became their expert. With her legs, Jemma climbed up the rocks and passed the lizards every day, venturing further and further onto the island and observing everything she saw. Eventually, she figured out how to make fire based off of the limited knowledge of it Skye had once provided her with. She used bark and charcoal and began sketching. They were nowhere near as good as Skye's drawings had been, they were only basic shapes, but Jemma liked finding a new animal or plant to draw. The activity made her feel like she was still with Skye.

Jemma often brought her drawings back to the pod, showing anyone who was interested, but especially the children. She was like a land expert now, and it amazed the little ones how much she knew, even though Jemma knew she knew so little.

Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. Jemma practically spent all her time on land, and she knew the entire surface of most of the uninhabited islands as well as she knew the sea surrounding them. Jemma brought back new plants, and the shaman was able to create several new potions, including an advanced version of her two-legged potion. It granted her the limbs until she came into contact with salt water again. She discovered many edibles, and suddenly, food wasn't an issue for them, and they had a wider variety of things to eat.

Jemma was busy, and it made her dull. It was better than being sad. She often felt deep sorrow that wasn't her own, and Jemma wondered if it was Skye. She thought about her often, every day, and she had the laminated picture of her left under some sea glass near a tree at her favorite place to relax, in a small group of short, stubby trees where many large, shelled animals lived. It was almost like being on land made Jemma feel more connected to her. Some days she swore she could almost hear Skye's thoughts, even though she was so far away. They were foggy and impossible to read, but they were there.

She wondered how Skye was doing. Clearly Jemma had been wrong in her presumption before, Skye obviously still wore her necklace and they were still partners. Jemma only hoped Skye had managed to find some peace of mind like she had, something to keep her busy. She had her art, and Jemma hoped that would be enough for her.

  __________

Three days turned into three weeks, and three weeks turned into three months and Skye was the same, except less everything that made her Skye.  The first week she had thought was tough…and then the two weeks following had been equally as awful if not more so.  By the time a month had gone by, Skye was still visiting the beach for a few minutes out of her day in-between her classes and the now double shifts at the diner.

Fall semester went by and she had almost failed, barely scraping by with two D’s, a C, and two B’s which her mother scolded her for and almost sent her to therapy.  She had been off for a while, and Skye knew it, but whatever it was, she just couldn’t get back into the groove of normal life…no, not normal, her life before Jemma.  Jemma was her normal.  Skye had picked herself up just enough now that her mother left her alone…mostly.  She was holding a good solid AB ratio so far.  This was her second to last year, and even though she was in such a depression, she knew she had to at least keep herself afloat so she could still graduate on time.

Skye still didn’t pay attention in class though.  She thought about Jemma a lot, about 80% of the time actually.  She thought how Jemma must hate her for making her leave.  She would probably hate her even more if she knew Skye had made her leave, and then three days later Ward and Garrett and half of his knockoff sea world team had gone to prison off island.  Skye felt bitter about that the most.  If she had somehow waited…if she could have just kept Jemma away for three or four days, the pod would have been safe and she would be here now.  Skye also wondered if Jemma could feel the deep, penetrating loathing she had for herself thanks to this fact.  She had rushed them off in so much of a hurry without hardly a decent goodbye and now she was probably never going to see her again when it didn’t have to be that way at all.

She thought how Jemma must think she had somehow cheated her way out of forever…like Skye didn’t care enough when things got hard that she just pawned Jemma off to someone else…she practically had, but it hadn’t been for that reason.  All she had wanted to do was keep Jemma safe…and she wondered if the mermaid knew that.  She hoped and prayed Jemma knew she wasn’t being selfish.  She loved Jemma and Skye knew she didn’t want anyone else, but humans didn’t exactly have a good track record.  Skye knew her species was faulty and full of unkept promises, but Skye didn’t want to be like that.

At night, if she didn’t cry herself to sleep holding her necklace, she would wake up crying to nightmares.  On the off chance she did get some sleep, it was only ever because she had forced herself to stay up for so many hours that her body didn’t have any choice but to shut down completely…and that happened more often than was probably healthy.  All she had, if she really had anything, was her art…and she hadn’t been able to do even that.

All of her sketches were of Jemma, and they were all wrong.  Wrong everywhere.  Not just in the scales, but wrong everywhere.  The scales were wrong, her face was wrong, her hair was wrong, her fins were wrong, her eyes were wrong, _everything_ was wrong.  Even when she tried to draw something other than Jemma she just couldn’t.  She failed every single time and one night she had been so infuriated that she ripped every page out of her sketch book, crumbled it up, and threw it at the opposite wall, followed by turning her desk and art supplies over and ripping off the pictures until by the time she fell on her bed, exhausted, her room was a wreck and not a single piece of artwork remained anywhere that wasn’t in some fashion destroyed beyond repair.  There was only one…only one she hadn’t dared lay a finger on.  Her first sketch of Jemma.  The first one she had ever drawn.  The first time she had ever put Jemma to paper.  She dared not lay a finger on it.

It was the sole survivor of a massacre and still hung on the opposite wall of Skye’s bed, dead center, where she could see it every night.  Jemma and herself at the fair was her phone background.  It was her only real picture and she fell asleep staring it more times than she could count.  She was throwing herself into work at the diner and all of her spring semester classes that weren’t art.  At least, that was a month into her spring classes when her Advanced Art III teacher passed out fliers for a contest.  The winner was to be chosen at the end of term and art piece revealed at the Island Faire, to be displayed at the place of choice by the creator.  Winner was to receive a scholarship to apply to their next year of school.

It wasn’t the art that got her attention nor the contest really…but she was running low on funds and even picking up as many shifts at the diner as she now had wasn’t going to get her through her senior year.  She had enough loans as it was and she knew her mother wouldn’t be able to keep helping fund her like she was.  The flyer said all mediums were welcome.  Sketches, paintings, sculptures, and anything in-between.  Skye didn’t know what she would do.  Nothing she had done these last few months could even win against kindergarteners’ art.

Skye knew, at the rate she was going, there wouldn’t be any way she could win, even if she had wished it for the briefest of moments.  She felt hope sometimes, faint, but powerful, but it would fade just as fast as it had come and her inspiration would leave her…for whatever she had been doing.  Fleeting as it was, one of these moments struck her suddenly on her way home the next day when she visited the beach.

There was no tower.  She didn’t expect one anymore…but a rusty bent pipe, probably from a ship, had washed up on shore with a cluster of seaweed.  She had never seen trash wash up on shore in her and Jemma’s old place before.  At one time, before the mermaid had come into her life, she would have wandered around, searching for it and picking it up and taking the lot home, fixing it up to create art with it.  Her mother still had the small windmill she designed with some sheet metal that had washed up.

It came to her, like a quiet whisper, before it was gone.  Skye took the pipe home and cleaned it off.  It was a dank brown sort of color and she thought it was ugly...just like everything she had tried to do in the past few months.  Ugly like her art.  She felt a gentle encouragement from somewhere, and she found her hand had subconsciously wandered to the scale on her necklace.  The more often she touched it, the more she missed Jemma and the more she wished she could just kiss her and touch her scales and make her smile again.  Maybe Jemma was thinking about her too…and maybe, for some reason Skye couldn’t comprehend…she wasn’t angry with her for sending her away.  It saddened her to think she would never get another chance to get her scales right…she had tried so hard.

When she looked down at the pipe again she nearly dropped it after a soft gasp escaped her lips.  She had been sanding it lightly with sandpaper to clean it off and the shimmering orange color it revealed caught her artistic interest immediately.   _Copper!_  She was so excited she shot up from her chair, which knocked it back and hit her dresser, shaking the lamp there hard enough to make it fall over, which sent a pile of sea glass that Jemma had brought her crashing to the floor.  The noise scared her and she turned around to look in the floor, and this time she did drop the pipe.  It rolled slowly, steadily, next to the sea glass and Skye just stared at it in bewilderment.

She had never noticed before, but most of the colors of glass Jemma had brought her matched the colors in her tail.  It made Skye miss her deeply and she suddenly realized…she didn’t have any pictures of Jemma’s tail.  She hadn’t painted the colors of Jemma’s tail and even as she looked at the glass and thought of it now, the colors had faded and could even be in all the wrong order.  She had been so caught up in not having her, that she had let herself not have her at all.  She was sacrificing the memory of Jemma to go about her normal day and just try to survive.  It hurt too much.  She _was_ being selfish.  She wouldn’t forget.  She couldn’t.  She _refused_.

Three more months, five hundred and twenty seven hours, forty-three minutes and eighteen seconds of shop time, two weeks of working with a brace and bandage on one hand, and several pounds of copper, sea glass, and steel later…her masterpiece stood before her on the edge of the pier, facing out to the ocean.

“It’s really beautiful, honey.  You did such a good job,” Her mother hugged around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.  A bright blue ribbon was stuck to the plaque in front of the statue.  Her literal blood, sweat, and tears were in this work and it was utterly and without a doubt _perfect_.

“Thanks mom…”

“How’s your hand?  Better?”

“Almost…the doctor said I could hold a welder fine but drawing fine lines might take some time…I won’t be sketching for a while…it was worth it though.” Skye sighed, angling her head back to admire the eight foot tall sculpture she had done both for her final project and for the contest.  Her project had been to tell a story…and looking at it now, Skye thought she told a damn good one.

“Did you say you forgot to put that mixture you made on it, dear?  Won’t it rust?”

“I left it off on purpose…I want it to rust…”

“But won’t the rust ruin it?  Turn it all green…it would be a shame to lose its color?”

“Yeah, the salt in the air will turn it green…but it will look better that way over time I think.  Battling the elements will be good for it.  I’m supposed to be telling a story after all…”

“And this here,” Her mother pointed to a small sliver of copper still showing where everything else was surrounded by thin, smooth cuts of sea glass, “I think a piece already fell off, honey, it’s missing.”

“That is also on purpose,” Skye smiled to herself and rubbed the scale on her necklace between the thumb and pointer finger of her now good hand.  She had been having to use her left for everything recently since she accidently had fucked up with a welding torch with her other hand.  That would teach her to daydream less and pay more attention to the real world.  She wasn’t in a fairy tale anymore.

“Well…I still think it is stunning.  Your best work yet, Daisy.”

“Thanks mom.”

“What is that she is holding?”

“It’s a starfish…”


	15. All This and Heaven Too

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy July 4th weekend to all those in America. Happy final chapter to everyone!  
> also smut ahead. just a little. deep deep in.

It had been far too long now since Jemma had seen Skye. They'd been apart now for longer than they'd been together, but Jemma still thought that short time had been the most important in her life.

Jemma's new life was a busy one, and for that she was grateful. The less free time she had, the less her mind would inevitably fall back to Skye. She cried a lot more often now that she spent most of her time on land. It was almost normal for her, Jemma could hardly remember a time when her eyes didn't leak and her heart wasn't empty.

It felt like she was missing a piece, an entire half, and there was just blank space where Skye had once been. Sometimes it was a dull buzzing, like the sounds made up by the imagination to fill silence, but sometimes she was there, and Jemma felt it. Skye's emotions often rolled over her like waves, and she found herself feeling angry, destructive, sad, depressed, and inspired, though often it was hard to tell whether it was her own emotions or Skye's.

There were a few days that stood out more than the grayness of others. Once, she felt a pounding in her chest and sweat on her brow, and her hand stung intensely for a brief moment before it died down. She could feel it, just barely, for the next few weeks, and she'd known Skye had hurt herself somehow. If Jemma didn't know any better, she would have guessed she'd fallen into the water again.

There was another day that was the best since Jemma had left. She'd gone out bright and early to scale one of the large mountains, just for fun. Jemma found that exercising was soothing, it took her mind off things and gave her a sense of accomplishment. She had just made her way back down to the shade of the trees, panting and gasping from her hike, when something like happiness fell over her. Jemma had already been feeling well enough that day, but she could feel that Skye was having a good one too, and that made her happy. It was the first time she'd felt a moderately positive emotion from her, even though their emotional linkage had grown stronger with time, like all partner pairs.

It felt like fondness. It was sad and heartbreaking but it also made Jemma stare at her picture of Skye with a smile on her face and tears in her eyes at the same time. It was like for once she could remember how great her time with Skye had been instead of how much she missed it. She still did, but it started to get easier once she accepted that Skye had done what was right. They both could have gotten hurt if Jemma stayed, she knew this now.

The days were shorter and a little less miserable after that. Jemma scaled mountains and explored barren islands with little more than rocks. There were all kinds of habitats, and Jemma wandered through all of them on foot.

If Skye could see her now, boy, would she be impressed. Jemma spent a lot more time in the sun now and all of her time hiking or working her muscles, so she'd traded her pale, wobbly legs for strong, darker ones. She wouldn't have had to stumble down the sidewalk or up steps, she would have been able to keep up with Skye, maybe even get ahead of her.

Several more full moons passed, and Jemma was grateful for her new job to keep her busy. She even took up an apprentice. It had been quite a hard decision, actually. All of the children thought Jemma had the best job out of everyone and fought like sharks to be the one Jemma picked to bring on land.

There had been one little girl, in the back, and that was who Jemma chose. She had the spark of curiosity and the observing eye that Jemma recognized to be like her own.  It had been funny to bring her onto land at first, and hard to keep everyone else away to have their first session in private. The little girl had just as much trouble as Jemma walking at first, but soon she was following Jemma around like a dog, which she explained to Elizabeth.

The little mermaid was almost like an outlet for Jemma. Sometimes they went on hikes, but others they just sat in Jemma's favorite spot by a fire, and Jemma showed her the picture of Skye and talked all about her, their adventures, and everything Skye had taught her. It made Jemma feel nice to talk about her instead of bottle it up, and Elizabeth always listened with interest and amazement.

There was one day that Jemma would never forget, though. There was a pod meeting when the moon was full, and they had decided to migrate now that the waters were getting too warm and the animals were dying. Apparently this happened periodically here, as recorded by previous pods on the rocks underneath the surface of the water.

They were going to move again. Although Jemma liked her new home, she had a suggestion for their migration. The situations for the caves near Skye's island had been perfect, minus Ward, but that problem may have been resolved. Jemma could tell because Ward no longer bothered Skye.

They sent her ahead. Jemma was to go ahead of the pod, and as a land expert trained to walk and blend in, she could go onto the island and determine its safety. Jemma took this to mean make sure Ward is gone and find Skye. Would Skye still be there? Jemma didn't know, but she had to find out.

For the full week and a half it took Jemma to swim there, her longing was even stronger. She would be so close to Skye, she might be able to see her again. Feel her warm skin, hear her enchanting voice, and have the smell of her flood her nose. She wanted it all again. Like a drug user, after being deprived for so long, Jemma wouldn't be able to resist temptation when she was so close. It was necessary for her.

The minute everything started to seem familiar, Jemma sped up, passing the wrecked ship she'd once taken a picture of for Skye so long ago. Everything was the same, and Jemma wondered if everything out of the water would be the same too.

When Jemma reached the beach, their first beach, the one where she and Skye had first met, Jemma's heart thudded in her chest, incredibly happy for the first time in so many full moons. Her first task was to create a rock tower, and she completed it in a matter of minutes, using even larger rocks than usual, so Skye was sure to see it. Would she still come here after so long, though? Jemma wasn't sure.

After an entire day of waiting, Jemma decided it was enough. She still had to assess the safety of the island, she couldn't just sit here and wait for someone that wasn't going to come.

Taking one of her new potions, Jemma developed familiar legs and slipped on her shorts underwater, venturing onto shore and remembering the way the sand felt. Many would argue that sand was sand, and that it all felt the same, but Jemma could tell the difference. This was the sand of her home, of days and nights spent with her partner.

The best way to find out if the island was safe was to talk to Skye, so Jemma wasn't technically neglecting her duty, but the first thing she asked Skye wasn't going to be for the pod.

__________

 

For three months Skye had thrown herself into making the copper sculpture and Skye found, that once it was finished, she felt very satisfied with her work.  Except now her distraction was gone and the month after she felt empty again.  Her hand had healed as well as the doctor said was expected so she was able to take back her extra shifts at the diner now that it was summer time.  She was there so much they had to make her go home since she was pulling over forty hours.

She had a good amount of savings saved up for school by the end of summer and the scholarship she had won certainly helped. She made herself focus more, and between keeping her grades up and working at the diner she was kept pretty busy.  Skye hardly had time to go to the beach anymore, but every free second she had she still went.  She wasn’t sure why she made herself go.  It just felt like habit now, muscle memory.  She never lingered long.  Just long enough for her to see if there was a rock tower and to sit and miss Jemma when there wasn’t.

Her first week of her senior year was the worst.  It felt all wrong.  Ward should have been throwing a party with his friends and making her come.  She shouldn’t dread it this much.  She shouldn't be this tired.  She shouldn’t be working herself half to death.  Everything was different…and it didn’t take her long after realizing Ward should be throwing a party, that it was practically the anniversary of the day she and Jemma had met.  It made her happy and sad all at once and she let herself sit at the beach longer that night staring at her phone and the picture of Jemma.  She held her necklace and wondered what her partner was doing.  She wondered if the mermaid would know the significance of this day and feel happy and sad too.  Skye wished Jemma was there with her, and she knew that it was her own fault that she wasn’t, which made her all the more sad.   She missed her more that night than Skye thought she ever had in the entire time they had been apart.

The next two months passed and Skye had found a steady rhythm between going to class, stopping by the beach, going to work, and doing her homework when she got home.  She was kept busy and it kept her mind occupied except for those few minutes before she drifted off to sleep.

Skye wasn’t sure what she was going to do today.  She had more free time than she ever had in the past few months.  Her mother had given her diner shifts to someone else since she had already accumulated too many hours this week.  She had told her daughter to get some rest after class, to go out and do something fun, since she never saw her do anything but work and go to school anymore.  Her evening had suddenly freed up and Skye decided that she would go to the beach, like she always did. Maybe she could make herself take a nap or maybe something else had washed up that she could use in a new sculpture that could take over all her time.

It was getting late.  The sky would be darkening in an hour or so, so Skye figured she could stay on the beach till then.  She took her time walking to the large rock wall that she had once enjoyed climbing over every day, but now she knew what was on the other side, and it wasn't Jemma.  She was used to seeing the flat sand now instead of used to seeing a tower, so imagine her surprise when she finally hauled herself over and turned around.

Rocks, large rocks, stacked up almost as high as Skye’s knee rested at the shoreline just out of reach of the tide.  Skye wasn’t sure what to do.  It had been so long that she just stared at it at first, heart pounding in her chest.  She didn’t let herself dare think it though.  It couldn’t be real…the tower meant Jemma was here…or had been here, and as she listened to the blood rush through her ears she suddenly shot forward to the water.

“ _Jemma?!_ ”

She waited.  Heart pounding so hard she thought she might faint.

“Jemma?!”

She waited again.  Both times she received no answer.  She continued shouting for a good quarter of an hour before she sat down in the sand, quiet, throat sore, listening to the waves hit the rocks that surrounded the little grotto. She could be patient.  Maybe she was here and something had scared her away.  Jemma would come back.  She had so much hope…after all, Jemma had said she would come back when Skye had made her leave.  The echoed desperate words were almost as sharp in her mind as they had been when she first heard them.

Thirty minutes went by and still nothing.  Skye had decided to shout again but it was weaker and less hopeful than before.  An hour went by and the sky was getting dark and still Jemma hadn’t shown up.  The rock tower remained regardless and Skye found herself staring at it bitterly…like it was a lie, a trick.  It felt like a terrible prank, but she wasn’t sure who could have done it.  It didn’t matter.  The tower was here and Jemma wasn’t.  She didn’t know what she had expected.  Jemma wasn’t coming back.

Suddenly angry, she jerked herself up off the sand suddenly and kicked the rocks down, scattering them out into the water and on the sand.  If she didn’t know any better she would have thought Ward was out of prison and trying to mess with her, but she knew he wasn’t.  She stared bitterly at the scattered rocks a while, trying to keep herself from crying before she made herself leave.

She was still upset, mind brooding as she pedaled up the road.  It had been a year since Jemma had left.  More than a year now and Skye had to resign herself to the fact that if she was going to come back, she would have by now.  It was probably safer for the pod anyway to have found a new home somewhere else.  Hopefully it had less people, if any at all so that they could just live in peace.  She only hoped that Jemma knew and could feel that she still wore her necklace every day.  Skye didn’t want to stop being partners just because they were apart.  She still loved Jemma very deeply, if not more so in her absence, even though sometimes she was angry.  Jemma couldn’t have anyone else now that she was bound to Skye, and she thought that was unfair.  She wouldn’t be with anyone else either, not that she wanted to be.  Jemma was the only one for her just like Skye was the only one for Jemma, and she knew that.  She was almost to her house, and she was glad.  She wanted to lay in bed and stare at the picture of them and hope she actually got some sleep tonight.

"Hello, Starfish." A coy, yet shy voice called from the porch. It was difficult for Jemma to keep the desperation out of her voice and body, but miraculously she managed. It had been so long, Jemma had gotten lost while trying to find her way back to Skye's house, her one memory of it had grown hazy. She hadn't even been positive it was actually Skye's house until she saw the girl down the road, head down and not paying attention to anything. The temptation to surprise her had been all too real.

Jemma was right.  She hadn't been paying attention and when Skye heard the voice and her nickname paired together she nearly stumbled and fell over her bicycle that she was trying to dismount and get in through the front gate.  For a second, her body wouldn't function, all tangled up in the bicycle and eyes staring wide at the porch in disbelief.  Jemma was there.  Jemma was standing right there.  Jemma was on her porch, right there, on land, not fifteen feet from her.

Suddenly her neurons started firing again when her brain picked up the slack and she didn't even bother with the bike.  Skye slung it to the side and shaky hands fumbled with the gate for a moment before it swung open and Skye found herself at the beginning of the porch steps, staring up at the mermaid.  She was afraid if she spoke she might ruin it.  She wanted to hold her, wrap Jemma up in her arms and kiss her and never let her go.  But she didn't do any of that.  She was too afraid.  Instead, she stood there staring at her like a ghost, full of want.  Why was Jemma here?  Had they all come back? Was Jemma angry at her?  Would she even want Skye to touch her?  She didn't understand...and she wasn't sure she wanted to.  If this was a hallucination it was a damn good one and Skye hoped it continued, whatever it was.

"H-hey, Jemma..." There was so much more she wanted to say other than just hello, but it was all stuck in her suddenly dry throat.

Seeing Skye in the flesh was like magic. It made the weight that had settled in Jemma's chest over time dissipate rapidly. She wanted to spring off the porch and tackle Skye into a hug, but the last time she'd seen her kept playing in her head. Skye had turned her back on her, literally. It took a long time for Jemma to figure out, but it had only been literally. Skye hadn't abandoned her. The proof was right there, hanging around Skye's neck.

Jemma had had 13 full moons to think it over, analyze every word and action. It had been necessary, Skye was trying to protect her and she did the only thing she could. Skye had thought it through, she knew Jemma well enough to know that Jemma wouldn't have left if she'd had a choice.

"I told you I would come back." Jemma sighed, finally settling on words.

It took maybe half a second for the words to sink in, if that, before Skye was up the next four steps in such a rush she was surprised she hadn't tripped and fallen.  Skye's arms wrapped around Jemma and held her tightly and as close to her as she could manage.  Her head was down in the crook of her neck, taking in the mermaid's scent so quickly she had to sigh and do it again because it was so overwhelming.  

Her grip didn't loosen, and instead got tighter as the feeling of Jemma's skin, her body in her arms, finally sank in.  She was actually here.  Skye was actually holding her.  She could feel her and smell her and...hands on Jemma's cheeks gave her the warning first, but it wasn't much of one because the next instant, Skye's lips were on hers with such force they both almost fell back onto the porch swing.  

Skye thought she was going to die.  She kissed the mermaid as needily and desperately as she ever had and all of her senses were going haywire.  Her heart was pounding and Skye couldn't get enough of her.  She was so _happy_.  She had to make herself pull away before she accidentally suffocated Jemma but she had the biggest smile on her face the mermaid had ever seen.

"Thank god...I was...I was beginning to worry, you know?" It was a joke, but it also wasn't a lie.  She felt guilty now for thinking that Jemma wouldn't come back to her, when, in fact, here she was, still in her arms after little more than a year.

Although their fiery kiss had been intense, it still wasn't enough when Skye pulled away. Jemma slung her arms over Skye's shoulders and held them together tightly, with Jemma standing on her toes to be at equal height with Skye.

"Do you want me to stay?" Jemma's voice was quiet, uncertain. Even though she'd thought about it for months on end, she had to be sure that Skye truly did want her here. She had to hear it.

Skye was floored.  She was taken aback that Jemma even thought she had to ask.  She had to ask because Skye was the one who sent her away in the first place.  Skye knew she had done that to keep her safe.  She never could have known Ward and Garrett would have been taken away so quickly, if at all.  There was no other place to hide her.  Her pod wouldn't have been safe and Skye couldn't have lived with herself if she had gotten taken like that twice.  

"I sure as hell don't want you to leave," Skye was scared and she felt incredibly guilty that Jemma would even question if Skye wanted her here.  She absolutely wanted her here.

"I can't handle..." She had to stop and suck in a breath, holding Jemma close, but gently now, not wanting to squish her in case she was uncomfortable, "I can't handle you leaving again..."

Jemma breathed a sigh of relief, even though she got the answer she was expecting. She didn't think Skye had sent her away for any reason other than protecting her, she'd just had to confirm it.

"Good, because I can't handle leaving." Jemma leaned in once more, capturing Skye's lips with her own. She'd been longing to do this for a long time, and now that she was truly back, she wouldn't be shying away. They had so much lost time to make up for.

"I love you." Jemma told her, happy tears gathering in her eyes for the first time.

"I love you too," Skye mumbled between kisses.  She wasn't about to stop anytime soon either.  Her grip on Jemma was tight again and she was trying to pull their bodies as close together as physically possible.  She didn't want to let her go, not now, not ever.  

She was kissing her lips, her cheeks, her forehead, the tip of her nose, any skin she could immediately get to.  Skye didn't know how long Jemma had been here waiting for her though, and suddenly she was sad again.  Yes, Jemma was back now and that made her so happy, happier than she had been in a very long time, but she was still a mermaid.  She needed to be in the ocean and Skye knew she couldn't be out for very long before she changed back.

"How long have you been waiting here for me?" Skye asked, having to pull herself away again.  She almost couldn't focus.  She wanted to drown in Jemma and not come back up for a long time. "Do we need to go to the beach soon? To take you back?  Our spots will be safe...Ward and Garrett aren't around anymore.  They're gone for good..."

Jemma couldn't stop grinning. For one, the island and the caves were safe for their pod again. Ward and Garrett were gone, Jemma had guessed as much when she didn't feel Skye in any danger other than the one time. There was also the good news. Skye still thought she only had limited time here, and she couldn't wait to update her.

"I was on land a lot while I was away, so our shaman modified the potion. I'll have legs until I come into contact with saltwater. I can stay as long as I want." Jemma said, grasping the material of Skye's shirt. She had missed her so much, it was like love was pouring out of her like a waterfall now that they were together again. "And since it's so safe, the pod is moving back, and we'll be here for a long time." Jemma told her, adding the icing to the cake.

"I hope a long time means more than a year...to have you again and then leave would be an awful tease," Skye commented and her hands moved to Jemma's hips, holding her tight and grinning just as big as she was.  The news about her legs was great, and Skye really wanted to hear all about where she had been and what she had done while she was away.

"There's so many more things I can show you now.  Since you have as long as you want on land...would you like to come inside?  Have you eaten today?  Are you hungry?  What do you want to do?  We can do anything..." Skye's breathing was a little heavier and she was still holding her very close.  This certainly hadn't been the evening she had been expecting.  It was exponentially better.  She loved Jemma so much she could hardly contain how happy she was.  She just wanted to keep holding her and kissing her and now that Jemma could stay as long as she wanted...Skye realized she might not have to sleep alone either.

"If we do anything I should probably blend in a little more first. Even if it's just your mother that will see me." Jemma giggled, motioning down to her handmade clothes from the ocean. A burlap bra and shorts weren't exactly the most human things to wear.

"I got a lot of strange looks on the way here." She laughed and rested her hands on Skye's waist. It was so good to feel her under her fingertips again, to know that she really was here and it wasn't just an image of her.

Skye laughed and nodded when she finally looked down and noticed what Jemma was wearing.  She had seen her like this so many times (well, minus the shorts) that it was perfectly normal to her.  "Right, right, that's probably a good idea.  Mom is at the diner tonight so she won't be home till late but it will still be good to fit in.  C'mon," Skye leaned down and gave her forehead a quick kiss before taking her hand and leading her inside.

The main part of the house hadn't really changed at all.  It was the same as when Jemma had been there before, just plus a new dishwasher over in the kitchen.  Skye led the mermaid back up the stairs and to her room, and this is where the change was.  She didn't have any of her pictures from before up, since they had all been destroyed.  Her walls were plain now all but the one picture of Jemma on the left as they entered.  Skye was quiet, but moved aside so Jemma could step inside.  She wondered if Jemma would ask where all the art had gone and Skye wasn't sure how to explain it.

"I'm sure I have some other things that will fit you.  You want to shower first?  That...might be best. Not good to smell like the ocean if we go anywhere?" Skye suggested.  She liked Jemma's smell. She had missed it, but for someone who wasn't used to it...it could be a little accosting.

Jemma quietly observed Skye's room for a few moments before answering. It looked bare and empty without the art hanging everywhere and it made Jemma a little bit sad, but she supposed a lot had changed in the past year. Jemma had changed too, so she couldn't hold it against Skye if she wasn't exactly the same anymore either. It was probably best not to say anything about it. If Skye wanted to open up or talk about it she would.

"A shower would be nice. You can pick something out for me to wear, I won't be long." Jemma squeezed Skye's hand once before she slipped into the bathroom, knowing the routine even though she'd only done it once.

It felt nice to wash away all the salt, sand, and dirt that had accumulated on her body, but what was even nicer was the familiar feeling of being in Skye's house. She still couldn't get over how happy she was to be back. When she was finished, Jemma found a towel and wandered back into Skye's room after wrapping it around herself.

Skye had gone through her entire closet and managed to pick out something that would be both comfortable and small enough for Jemma to fit in and laid them out at the foot of the bed.  She was sitting at her desk, trying to organize her mess.  She certainly hadn't been expecting company and when she heard Jemma come out, she turned around.  
It had been a very long time indeed, and although Jemma had shown up in less clothing, something about Skye seeing Jemma in her towel made her blush.

"F-feel any better?" Skye stumbled through the short sentence, not able to take her eyes off of her.  She supposed that wasn't so bad.  She hadn't seen Jemma in a whole year so she had every right to look.  They were partners after all right?

"The clothes are...th-there," Skye nodded to the foot of her bed, "I wasn't sure what you wanted to do so I just...just uhm, picked some relaxing clothes..."

"That sounds good." Jemma said, shuffling to the foot of the bed while combing her fingers through her hair to get the knots out. It was often quite a mess and wasn't easy to tame.

There was no point in going back to the bathroom to change, Jemma didn't think it would really matter to Skye. Skye had changed in front of her on more than one occasion, what was the difference? Jemma let the towel drop and reached for the clothes, only slightly rushing to rid herself of the chill that had passed over her body when her skin was exposed.

The t-shirt smelled like Skye and it was comforting, but what she really wanted was Skye herself. Jemma walked over to the desk and leaned over, kissing Skye gently with a hand on the back of her neck.

"It's good to be back." She whispered across her lips.

It all happened before Skye could turn her head...not that she really wanted to, but it just seemed polite.  It was too late though because by the time Jemma's lips were on hers, she was a deep shade of beet red.  She had gotten a look like that before, but it had been a very long time, and before they were actually together.

"I-I’m glad you're back too..." She was getting that drowning feeling again...but the good kind. Skye leaned in again and kissed Jemma, soft at first, just happy to have her here to do this again, until it turned into the kiss from the porch.  The artist had risen from her seat, never letting her mouth leave Jemma's and she had the girl back in her arms in a matter of seconds.

"You're not allowed to leave again.  You're going to have to teach me how to breathe underwater or figure out how to give me a tail because," she kissed her again, and this time with more pressure like she had the one night at the beach, "I don't want you out of my sight, ever." Her hands on Jemma's hips were firm.  They wanted to roam.  Jemma was here and she wanted every part of her before anything could happen.  She had a lot of time to make up for and Skye would be alright with getting it all at once.

"You, in the water?" Jemma grinned into their kiss. She didn't even realize they'd been moving backwards until they hit the edge of Skye's bed and practically fell onto it.

"I'm sure I can think of something." Jemma joked, though her mind also seriously considered the possibility. It was strange to try and imagine Skye with a tail and swimming with her underwater, but it was also a nice thought. Like a fantasy.

"How about I stay here tonight then." Jemma suggested, pressing yet another kiss to Skye's eager lips. She never wanted to leave, never again. She wouldn't even leave to tell the pod it was safe here, she could call them. They were already on their way, they'd be able to hear her. She could have this one night to not be a mermaid.

"I don't think you realize how much I would really love that..." Skye breathed.  Her breath had apparently sped up a bit and all if Jemma's kisses were making her head hazy and the rest of her even more needy.  Humans were complicated, as Skye had explained before when she didn't really want to explain, but the idea of actually explaining was getting more and more tempting.

"Only tonight?  Can't you stay more nights too?" Skye was kissing down the mermaid's jawline before she even realized she was doing it.  It led her to Jemma's neck and she inhaled the clean scent of her and it made her want to die she was so happy.

"You can have legs as long as you want now...and we are partners.  We're supposed to be together...". Skye knew she was probably asking a lot, for Jemma to be away from her family even longer than she had kept her away before, but she and Skye had been apart an entire year...she thought she deserved some much allotted time too.

Skye's hands on Jemma's hips were starting to move.  With the mermaid under her _and_ on the bed, it was hard for them not to.  One was rubbing Jemma's thigh, almost wishing it were her tail.  Almost.  The other hand managed its way underneath her borrowed shirt and was lightly touching the skin at her waist.  She wanted to touch and feel every part of her, because now Jemma was _here_ and she _could_.

"Yes, we are supposed to be together." Jemma agreed, sighing in contentment. That part of her that had been feeling empty while she was away was finally full again, and it was because of Skye. They were supposed to be together forever, and now they could.

"I can stay whenever I want." Jemma kissed the side of Skye's head and held her close. "It's a bit of a long story, but that's actually my job now. To be on land." Jemma told her. It was really quite convenient, especially now that she had an even better reason to be out of the ocean.

Jemma practically hummed happily under Skye's touch. It was so real and it was finally happening after so much waiting and imagining. Skye's feelings were reciprocated and Jemma showed it by letting her own hands wander. They slid under Skye's shirt slightly and Jemma traced patterns into the soft skin of her stomach.

"Mmm, is it now?  They're finally letting miss curious walk out and about, huh?" Skye smiled and hoisted herself up and kissed the tip of Jemma's nose again.  "You'll have to tell me all about it.  Where you've been, what you did.  I want to know everything," she whispered when her lips found their way by Jemma's ear.  She kissed it the next moment before her mouth was back on her neck.  

She was trying, unsuccessfully, to keep her hands from wandering any more but the one under Jemma's shirt continued to creep up, feeling Jemma's sides and her stomach, impressed with the amount of muscle there that hadn't been before...or maybe she just didn't remember.  Her hand on her thigh was finding the same scenario.  Jemma had certainly been using her legs a lot.  She was probably in better shape than Skye.

Skye had still run and did her regular morning workout routine just because she was in the habit, so her and and muscles were as taut as always, but to feel them on Jemma just made it different.  A good different.

Tired of holding herself up too much, Skye straddled one of Jemma's legs and gently lowered herself down till their bodies were mostly pressed together.  She still kept the top half of her up by her arms now and the one on her thighs had to move by Jemma's head to hold Skye up.  "My scar is smooth now.  You almost can't see it anymore..."

"I can tell." Jemma mumbled, letting her palm press over the place that had once been pink and raised. She could hardly tell it was there anymore, she wouldn't have even noticed there was a scar if she hadn't known in the first place.

"Mine are gone." Jemma informed her, removing one of her hands from Skye's stomach and guiding Skye's hand to slip through the neck of her shirt and rest over her shoulder.  
            Skye felt the skin on Jemma’s shoulder gently, nodding when she couldn’t feel any bumps like she had that first time they spent the night together on the beach.  Her skin was just as smooth as it had been before.  Skye would never have known she had gotten bitten by a shark, just like probably no one would ever know she had almost died.  It had ruined her bikini wearing for a long time, that was for sure.

“You know…while you were gone,” Skye started, only to pause and connect her and Jemma’s lips again, unable to resist biting her bottom one just a little before letting go, “I finally got them right.”  She was talking about Jemma’s tail and the pattern of her scales of course.  Jemma would know that and recognized her triumphant tone easily, especially after they had caused her so much frustration.

Jemma stared up into Skye's eyes with a little bit of shock and quite a bit of pride. She knew Skye would get them right eventually, she just hadn't expected it to be while she was gone.

"You'll definitely have to show me." Jemma grinned and moved both of her hands to rest at Skye's waist, squeezing lightly. She was so glad Skye had finally accomplished the goal she'd sworn to complete and she was excited to see it, but she didn't want to stop what they were doing right now. She wanted to enjoy this.

"But maybe not right this second..." Jemma grinned mischievously and gently bit Skye's bottom lip as she kissed her again.

There was a strange feeling starting to bubble up in Jemma's abdomen that she'd never felt before. She passed it off as just happiness and joy until her legs started tingling slightly.

Jemma would have guessed it was because her tail was about to come back if it hadn't been for the less temporary version of the potion and the fact that the feeling settled into one place in particular. It wasn't bad, but it made Jemma curious and she wanted to explore it.

It definitely felt good. The longer she kissed Skye the better it felt, and swiping her tongue over Skye's lip made it even more intense. Maybe it was the way Skye's leg was in between hers, pressed up against her. Jemma couldn't help but shift against her and the contact caused her to let out a soft moan before she knew what was happening.

Skye had mentioned something that night on the beach about humans being complicated... Did this have anything to do with that? It felt intimate, that was for sure. It could be like tail touching, but Jemma already knew about kissing and this felt a little more urgent than that. There was really only one way to find out, so she kept kissing Skye and would keep kissing her until she got an explanation or until she figured it out herself.

Skye was very surprised to have Jemma move against her that way, not to mention her moaning.  It made her hot suddenly and her body reacted with a gasp and shifting her leg up a little more, pressing her knee further against her.  The grip on Jemma’s side grew tighter, and the hand that had been on her shoulder had slid down to her arm, holding it in the same fashion.

Yes, she was very surprised, but not unpleasantly.  Jemma’s kissing proved a good distraction until her lips escaped hers and Skye was kissing down her neck again, quickly pulling the neckline of the shirt to the side so she could kiss at her shoulder.  Trying to get to it put her body a little further down against Jemma’s and caused her leg to rub a little more.

Her breath hit Jemma’s neck and it was hot, like her lips were just millimeters off of her skin, but not touching.  She was pausing, trying to control herself.  “Jemma…” Skye could feel a familiar feeling creep up on her.  Jemma’s moan and sudden fervor in kissing her and moving like that had started a fire.  She was too nervous to explain.  She didn’t know if she could.  She was trying to stop, even though she really didn’t want too.

“Humans are complicated…”

"I know." Jemma breathed. Truthfully, she was a little confused. It was obvious that Skye enjoyed whatever was going on as much as she did, if not more so, but she seemed so hesitant. By the way Skye was talking she assumed it was some human custom she wasn't aware of that made Skye so reluctant. She knew humans were complicated, but usually Skye tried to explain even the most difficult of concepts to her. What made this one so hard?

"You know you can tell me anything." Jemma's tone grew a little more serious. One hand moved to the back of Skye's head and fingers curled into her hair, holding her comfortably where they could make eye contact. "I'm sure you can explain. You did a wonderful job with everything else." Jemma pointed out.

"This is..." Skye wasn't sure how to start and she could feel her face getting red.  She knew Jemma was confused with her and she didn't want that to turn into frustration.

"This is a-a little harder to explain...humans..." She had to look away.  Eye contact was too hard, too embarrassing right now, although Jemma's fingers in her hair felt nice.  "Humans have...h-humans have some uhm...some other customs that are...". They were like tail touching in that it was intimate.  Very intimate, at least for Skye.  She knew some people didn't give a flying fuck about sex or who they had it with, like some people didn't care about who they kissed, but she did, and it needed to be with someone very special. But it also wasn't quite like tail touching.  Skye didn't know what tail touching felt like, she only knew it made Jemma happy.  It didn't seem to be sexual at all, just special.

"When a person...uhm..." She was a mumbling and stuttering mess and she was making a fool of herself.  Skye sucked in a quick breath and shut her eyes tightly, her grip on the girl tightening, "When people like each other...n-no, when human partners love each other they...there is this other human thing...it's not really like tail touching--we'll I mean it's intimate...like super intimate...and it's really special to some people, I mean it is to me...and I r-really w-want...to show you...if you would be uhm...if you would be alright with it?". Skye finally opened her eyes and sighed heavily, taking in air after that she hadn't been able to have while trying to get the sentence out.  She still hadn't explained very well and she wondered if she had made Jemma even more confused.  

"See...I love you and this thing I want to do with you is...like tail touching but times like...a hundred. And it makes you feel...wonderful and h-hot and s-some other things too.  It's like...it's like a mating ritual..." This time her face got even redder, but she was keeping eye contact with Jemma now because this was serious and she wanted to make sure that Jemma understood, at least mostly, if they were going to keep going.  She wasn't sure how mermaids did this but she knew how humans did and now that Jemma had legs...she very much wanted this with her.  She wanted the whole package, everything that came with being linked together as partners.

"I want you to show me, Skye." Jemma nodded. If whatever this was was part of being partners for humans, Jemma wanted it. She wanted to give Skye everything just like Skye had done for her.

Jemma still had no idea what it actually was based on Skye's explanation, but she knew it was important and that it probably had something to do with that tingling between her legs.  She still couldn't help but shift slightly against Skye's leg, and the hand that was on her waist rounded to her back so Jemma could pull her down against her a little more.

"I love you too, show me everything." Jemma whispered as she lifted her head to give Skye a long, convincing kiss.

Skye nodded into the kiss and per Jemma's pulling, she lowered herself down more, letting their bodies press together.  Once the kiss broke, Skye's mouth was on her neck, kissing rougher and occasionally sucking on the skin.  Hands were wandering now, both under Jemma's shirt and feeling the skin of her sides, gathering the material up slowly as they went.  
Skye's leg between Jemma's was starting to move.  She was bringing it up, pressing it harder.  Her hands left Jemma's shirt, having raised it almost all the way up, to grab her hips, which she urged to move against her.  Jemma would get the hang of it, especially if it felt as good as Skye wanted it to.  She was still nervous, not sure where or how to begin, but this was probably a good start.

Jemma felt Skye guiding her and did what she was being told, especially when it started to feel so good. The tingling between her legs grew from a little urge to more of a need and Jemma began moving against Skye's leg. Small tremors shook through Jemma's body slightly as her breathing grew quicker. She wanted Skye to keep going, so she let her know it by continuing to grind against Skye's leg without her encouragement and letting the hand still in her hair grip a little tighter. She was already impressed by the feeling, but somehow she could tell they hadn't really started yet.

Once she felt Jemma start to move on her own it made Skye smile and she brought her face back up to Jemma's and kissed her hard, swiping her tongue over her mouth and her tongue darted inside and started moving against Jemma's.  Her hands on her hips finally moved again, gliding up Jemma's skin back to the shirt.  She broke their kiss and sat up, straddling one of Jemma's legs.  She couldn't help but to move against it like Jemma was doing to her and it made a moan escape.  

She lost her focus for a second, just moving against the mermaid until she managed to get some clarity.  She reached up over her head and back behind her, grabbing her shirt and pulling it up over her head. It was like she was wearing a bikini top so she didn't expect Jemma to react too much. She had seen her with less on and Skye had seen Jemma with less on, but she still asked, hands at the edge of the shirt and ready to pull it over Jemma's head.  
"C-can I?"

"Yes." Jemma said simply, nodding quickly. She was starting to get an idea, starting to understand a little more. This must be why humans were so weird about being naked, it was something reserved for partners. Just like Jemma had reacted badly to Skye trying to touch her tail for the first time, Skye had reacted to seeing Jemma naked for the the first time she'd used legs. It made sense.

Jemma let both her hands and eyes wander over Skye's torso. It wasn't anything new, but that didn't mean Jemma didn't still enjoy staring at her or trailing her hands up and down her sides. It only made her slightly nervous to realize they might both end up completely naked if she was right. The rest of her was excited, she was not opposed to being able to see and feel all of Skye.

Skye bit her lip as she gently removed Jemma's shirt and tossed it onto the floor.  Jemma's hands on her felt good and she wanted more.  Her breathing was starting to quicken too and she lowered herself back down onto Jemma, feeling her skin under her own and she moved, rubbing herself against her.  It made the feeling in her own abdomen stronger and her hands flew to Jemma's stomach and rubbed over her skin until they reached her burlap bra. One hand was over it, on top of Jemma's chest and squeezed.

Skye kissed her neck, before moving more sloppy kisses to her shoulder and down to her collar bone.  Her leg between Jemma's was moving faster, and the hand that wasn't on Jemma's chest was wrapped back around and grabbing her thigh, making both of them move harder together.  Skye was letting out pleased noises and breathless "I love yous", and she would have asked, but she was quickly getting worked up and it was hard to go slow.  Her hand had slipped under the strange fabric and was now massaging, skin on skin and the feel of it made goosebumps pop up over Skye's arms.

Jemma gasped and arched into Skye's touch. It was all new, and Skye had most definitely been right. It did make her feel wonderful...and lots of other things. Small, pleased whimpers escaped her lips as she enjoyed all the new feelings Skye was giving her. She wanted to return those things, but she was a little more shy about it.

Her nails scratched lightly at Skye's skin just under her bra, trying to gauge Skye's reaction and figure out if this was right. It certainly felt so. Her fingers copied Skye's movement, slipping under the different material.

Skye's mouth fell open, releasing a hot moan onto Jemma's collar bone before she kept kissing it, working her way all the way back up to her face.  She kissed her cheeks and her forehead and finally planted a heated kiss on her lips.  The hand on the mermaid's thigh moved and Skye reached back behind herself and her fingers fumbled a moment, nervous, before it faded and she unclasped her bra.  She rose up a little off of Jemma, looking off to the side of her, a faint pink on her cheeks before she rolled her shoulders, the muscles there flexing some and the shoulder straps of the bra falling down her arms, taking the rest of it with it.

Skye was biting her lip and trying not to look at Jemma, her movements a little less urgent than before in her embarrassment.  Her breaths came shallow, chest rising and falling just so.  By some miracle, her eyes drifted back up to Jemma's and she was fairly certain her blush suddenly spread to everywhere.  Jemma had seen her naked before, but it had been brief and it had been an accident, but Skye was giving her all the permission in the world now.

Jemma may not have known everything about humans and the way they act, but she knew Skye well enough to know exactly what she was feeling when her skin turned red like that. The feeling wasn't unknown to her either.

"Don't be embarrassed." Jemma whispered softly. "You're beautiful." As if to emphasize this point, Jemma sat up as much as she needed to to be able to reach Skye's face, and she kissed her assuringly. The hand that had previously been on Skye's side rose upward until both of her hands were on Skye's chest, massaging and enjoying how warm and soft Skye felt.

Jemma pulled away for just a moment, only long enough to pull her own bra over her head and toss it aside. Nudity wasn't as big of a deal for her, and she thought it would make Skye more comfortable if they were both bare chested.

As soon as Jemma's bra was off, Skye grabbed the mermaid's hands and brought them back to her chest, leaning far over her partner and moaning.  Her eyes were shut, enjoying the experience and feel of Jemma's hands on her and the fire it sent shooting down her nerves to between her legs.  She stammered a thank you and tried to tell Jemma she was amazing too but her vocal cords couldn't get past the thanks.  

She decided to show her instead, and Skye's hand was back on Jemma's thigh, pulling it up and rubbing her leg faster between Jemma's legs.  She lowered herself back down and when she did she kissed the mermaid fervently, winding her spare hand into her hair, nails digging slightly into her scalp before she gave a sharp tug, which was to pull her head back so she could kiss her throat.  

The sloppy, needy kisses traveled down and kissed along Jemma's collar bone again before  traveling lower.  Skye kissed between her breasts, trying to hold off some, waiting for a reaction before she couldn't wait anymore.  She planted more kisses around Jemma's chest before taking a nipple into her mouth and sucking.  She moaned again when she did it and the hand in the mermaid's hair loosened and lightly raked down her stomach towards the shorts she had let her borrow.

Jemma's hands flew to Skye's head and tangled themselves in Skye's hair, and she found that she yet again she was gasping in surprise. Amazed, that's what Jemma was. Merpeople didn't have anything like this, so she considered it an extreme perk to having a human partner and the ability to have legs instead of a tail when she wanted.

Her back arched even further and Jemma moaned, rocking into Skye and only spending half a second wondering what was so slick between her legs. She had a feeling she was about to find out, if the movement of Skye's hand had anything to do with it. Just this would have been enough to satisfy her, but seemed as if there was still more Skye wanted to show her, and Jemma was going to let her.

When the mermaid moaned and arched, Skye sucked harder, taking the hands now tangled in her hair as a good sign as they held her head in place.  She had to fight against them to lift her head back, giving her breast one final kiss before trailing her tongue across Jemma's chest to the other, which she gave the same treatment.  From Jemma's noises, Skye knew the mermaid was enjoying herself.  She let her tongue dance around her other hardening mound before taking it into her mouth and rolled it gently between her teeth.

Once Skye's hand had reached the hem of her shorts, her body shifted some, laying more on top of her and to one side.  She only hesitated a moment, rolling her hips forward with a satisfied hiss against Jemma's leg before slowly, gently, looping two fingers around the fabric and pulling both the shorts and the borrowed underwear down with it.  They didn't go far, only midway down her thighs before Skye's hand was tracing lightly just above where the shorts had been.  Her other hand was still in Jemma's hair and she broke away from her chest and brought her kisses back to Jemma's mouth.  

Her own body was worked up, and so she rolled into Jemma again, trying to relieve some of the tension that had built up between her own legs but there wasn't enough friction. She wanted more of Jemma, but she could wait. Skye kissed Jemma roughly before softening it some just long enough to mumble another "I love you" before the hand below traced around the inside of her thighs, enjoying just a little more build up, before her fingers slipped into soft wet folds, running up the length of her core a few times to get her used to the feeling before Skye's hand started in slow wide circles.  Skye was making very please noises  into her kisses with the mermaid and was slowly starting to burn up, but she could wait.

Without ever consciously choosing to, Jemma let small, pleased whines slip out of her mouth and into Skye's as they continued to kiss. Some muttered sound resembling "I love you too" made it out before Jemma fell back into moaning. She tried to shift down into Skye's fingers to increase the pressure there, since it never seemed like enough. Both to pull Skye closer and return something she wanted, Jemma shifted her leg up in between Skye's, giving her the friction she desired.

Skye bit Jemma's lip before gasping, breaking their kiss at the new pressure Jemma's leg provided.  Her eyes shut briefly, brow furrowing as she steadily rolled her hips back and forth, riding her thigh to please herself. Her hand kept time with her hips though, and for every roll, her fingers did double time between the mermaid's legs.

Her fingers eventually came up, circling around a little bud of nerves, which, by the sound of it, her partner was enjoying even more than before.  Skye continued to do this, finally putting her lips back on Jemma's because she hated to be separated from them.  After a few more thrusts down on Jemma's leg, Skye groaned.  A thin layer of sweat had appeared over her skin and Jemma's thigh was no longer enough.

She leaned into her more, kissing her fiercely before taking both of her hands away and putting them on Jemma's, guiding her partners hands down to her own shorts that were still on.  
"T-take them off...p-please."

Jemma didn't need to be asked twice. She'd been wondering why Skye hadn't taken them off already, but she's been respecting that Skye was possibly a little more embarrassed than her. It took no further convincing for Jemma to hook her thumbs around the waistband of Skye's shorts and guide them down over her hips.

She was cautious at first, shy and hesitant with her touches. If this was one of the ways humans said they loved each other, Jemma was determined to give back to Skye, especially since now she knew how _good_ it felt. Her hand was soon between Skye and her own thigh, and her fingers tentatively touched hot skin before slipping through wet folds and rubbing generously. Jemma was a quick learner and her fingers soon found the same spot Skye had used. She targeted the small bundle of nerves, and although she didn't move quite as fluidly as Skye did, she was getting the hang of it.

Whatever Jemma was doing, it was working, because the moment she made contact, Skye's face was in Jemma's neck, breath hot and moaning.  She was rolling her hips down, trying to get more.  One of her hands had even tangled itself back in Jemma's hair, tugging  lightly while her other arm was wrapped around her neck and shoulders trying to being the mermaid closer if possible.  Jemma's name came out several times before Skye had to bite her lip and silence herself so she could try and focus.

Once again she replaced her hand back between her partner's legs and started rubbing again, faster than before, concentrating on her clit, getting Jemma excited again.  She lingered there for another minute or so before her fingers slid down just a  little, now wet enough, and slid a single digit into Jemma's core.  Skye kissed her neck and her jaw between pants of herself still moving herself against Jemma's hand, careful to let the mermaid adjust before she slipped another finger in and slowly began moving them back and forth.  Nails lightly scraped at Jemma's scalp as the hand in her hair kept a tighter hold, pulling just a little whenever Jemma's hand went over that particularly sensitive spot between her legs.

Even louder, deeper moans vibrated up Jemma's throat and into the room. The newest sensation proved to be too much, small tremors shook her body as she thrust her hips into Skye's hand, trying to get more. Hot, breathless gasps fell over Skye's ear and she stopped trying to control them, as that seemed to be the point.

Jemma's hand moved faster between Skye's legs, trying to work her partner up just as quickly. Whatever Skye was doing to her was making her legs start to go numb, but not before they were tingling and trembling all over. It felt like a pressure was building up in her lower abdomen and Jemma whimpered as it grew more intense.

Finally, when it sprung loose, Jemma gasped once more, repeating Skye's name a few times as she enjoyed what was undoubtedly the most physically pleasurable thing she'd ever felt. Jemma guessed that that was the end of it by the way she felt a little worn out for some reason, but she could tell she hadn't done quite the same thing for Skye yet, and she was determined to.

It took a moment for Jemma to figure out exactly what Skye had done, but when she did, she copied it almost exactly, wanting to make Skye feel the same thing she'd made her feel. Once Jemma slipped her fingers inside Skye, she found that it felt a little strange, yet it was insanely satisfying for her to see how pleased Skye was.

It didn't take Skye's body long to catch up once Jemma figured out what to do, and before long her hips were bucking and muscles taut as the spasms hit.  Her face was still buried into Jemma's neck and she writhed and moaned on top of her for a few more seconds before the feeling faded, leaving her tired but undeniably happy.

Skye shifted her weight some, moving to lay more next to Jemma than on top of her so that she could breathe.  Skye knew she wasn't the lightest thing in the world.  The hand in her hair stayed there, content to be tangled while the other wrapped around the mermaid's waist and held her close.  She kissed her neck, and then her cheek, and lifted herself up a little to kiss her lips again, though now it was much softer and Skye's face was a little red.  Her embarrassment had returned.

"So...th-that was...that was Uhm...d-did you like it...?"

"That was..." Jemma paused, still trying to catch her breath and come up with a word to describe what had just happened. It was all kinds of amazing and fantastic and Jemma had trouble finding just one word for it.

"Terrific, that was terrific." Jemma laughed, wiggling slightly so she was lying on her side and facing Skye. Her fingers automatically reached for Skye's necklace, and she messed with it for a few seconds before moving her hand to the side of Skye's face and kissing her softly.

"Thank you for showing me...whatever that's called." She mumbled across her lips before finally parting. Jemma sighed happily and let her legs tangle with Skye's as she snuggled closer.

Skye smiled, nuzzling into Jemma and pulling her closer, further tangling her legs in hers.  "It's uhm...well there are lots of words for it...uh...there's uhmm...sex.  That's the m-most common.  Then there's uhm...m-making love...a-and f-fucking.  They sort of uhm...all have different meanings," Skye's face was still a shade of pink.  Her breathing had returned to normal and she was very content now to just lay there with Jemma.  She was tired and it was late after all.

"I'm so glad you're back, Jemma..." She held her just a little tighter and suddenly she felt how tired she was.  Like she hadn't slept all year and her body was finally home to relax.  It made her shoulders shake and soon Skye was crying, face tucked under Jemma's chin, clutching her harder.  She wasn't sad, she was just so happy now that Jemma was here.  She couldn't stand it. "I m-missed you so much...p-please don't ever leave again, e-even if I tell you too. I-I can't..."

"Shhh, Skye." Jemma whispered soothingly. She slipped one arm underneath her partner and wrapped it around her tightly. The other wound up on Skye's head, stroking her hair and trying to comfort her.

"I'm never leaving again." Jemma promised, clutching Skye like a lifeline. She was promising herself as well. She was assuring herself that nothing would get between them again, because Jemma knew she wouldn't be able to stand it either.

"You couldn't get rid of me even if you tried." Jemma's voice cracked, and she found that she was crying as well. Neither of them dared move, Jemma just laid there and held Skye, running her fingers through her hair and kissing the top of her head repeatedly.

It took some time for Skye to stop crying, but even when she did, she didn't move.  She stayed there, clinging to Jemma for what seemed like a long time, comforted by her promises and her presence, before her eyelids started to get heavy.  She was too tired to dress and so when she did shift, it was only to move the both of them under her blankets.

Once they were comfortably situated and Skye made sure Jemma had enough pillow for her head, she spoke up again.  Quietly, she explained beds and pillows and blankets to Jemma since she couldn't remember if she had before the only other time Jemma had been in her room.  She still clung to her tightly, but her eyes were dry now and she lifted her head to kiss Jemma softly.

"I love you so much..." She kissed her one more time before snuggling her head back under her chin, breathing in the scent of her.  Her breathing evened out and eventually slowed, signalling Skye had fallen asleep.

 

________________

Jemma didn't think she'd ever slept so long in her life. When her eyes finally did flutter open, warm rays of sunshine were heating up her skin and she had to close them again before her eyes burned. She shifted on the bed, which Jemma thought was amazingly soft and comfortable. It may have been less because of the bed and more because of Skye, though.

As her vision came into focus, Jemma's eyes caught the chocolate brown of the top of Skye's head, and Jemma smiled, kissing it lightly. Her partner was still held tightly in her arms, and Jemma eased the tension, murmuring a soft good morning to help bring Skye back into consciousness.

It was almost hard to believe, really, that Jemma had dreamed of coming back to Skye for so long. Now she had just woken up with her, after a deep sleep with no restlessness at all. She was a t peace, and it was wonderful.

Skye stirred slightly, but only to bury her face more into Jemma and under the blankets.  A soft yawn escaped her mouth and the hot breath of it would have hit Jemma's neck.

"Five more minutes..." It was a light grumbled, followed by a groan when Jemma did not stop her kisses.

Skye finally opened her eyes, face to face in the semi dark with Jemma's neck and shoulders.  She yawned again, grinning, and shifted so her head was back above the blankets, wincing as the light hit her eyes.  "Mmm, I'm up  I'm up," clearly she wasn't though because her eyes were still half lidded, even as she leaned over and gave Jemma a very thorough good morning kiss.  

Skye didn't think she had slept so well in ages and she was glad for it.  The rest had obviously done her good, and now Jemma was here and she wasn't going to leave again.  Her fairytale had fallen back into place, and she couldn't be happier.  
"Good morning..."

"Good morning, Starfish." Jemma grinned. Skye was almost being a starfish again right now, using all of her limbs to cling to her. Jemma was just fine with that. One of her arms was still around Skye's shoulders, but the other was over Skye's waist. She drew a few patterns over Skye's skin with her fingers before resting her hand flat on Skye's waist.  
"How long did we sleep?" Jemma asked, craning her neck to try and get a good look at the sun out of the single window. She wasn't in a rush to get back to the ocean, but she should probably at least let out a call to her pod to let them know it was safe so they could approach.

"Hmm, I don't know.  Lemme see," Skye released her hold on Jemma, rolling over to face away from her and sitting up a little so she could reach over her bed and get to her phone. Moving like this made the blankets slide down, exposing most of her upper back to Jemma.

"It says 9:37...so I'm not sure when we went to bed, but I'm going to assume at least nine hours because I know we came home before midnight."  Skye set her phone back down and went to roll back over to face Jemma when she blushed and noted her state of dress...or lack there of.  She had forgotten.

The blankets were back over her in a second before she faced the mermaid again, face still pink after her discovery.  
"S-so uhm...wh-what do you want to do today?"

None of the numbers really meant anything to Jemma since she didn't use Skye's way of telling time, but she could just tell that the sun was steadily rising higher in the sky. Slowly, not really wanting to, Jemma slipped out from underneath the warm sheets. She shuffled about, picking up all of her- or Skye's, rather- clothes from the floor and putting them on.

"I have to call the pod before the sun is high so they know it's safe and that we can stay." Jemma said in a little bit of a rush. "But after that I'm free to wander about on land as much as I please." Jemma smiled. There were so many things she couldn't wait to tell Skye about. There was also Elizabeth, Jemma needed to show her the new land and begin to teach her about it. She'd love to introduce Skye to Elizabeth. The young mermaid was like her child, after all.   
"I have so many things to tell you while we walk." She grinned, gathering up Skye's clothes and bringing them to her as well. Packing up her things into her waist pouch didn't take too long, and Jemma was ready to go in no time, impatiently waiting for Skye.

"You are way too happy for how early it is," Skye chuckled when Jemma brought over her clothes.  She couldn't deny though, that she was happy as well.  Jemma was here and she was going to stay.

She moved to sit up, still holding the sheets around her chest.  She knew it probably didn't do much good. Jemma had just gotten up and walked around no problem, and Skye had to admit, she didn't mind the view, but she wasn't quite so...used to it as Jemma was.  She quickly dressed though and pulled her shoes on.  It took her even less time to pull some of her hair back before she was over next to Jemma, "I'm ready now.  Let's go.  I can't wait to hear everything," she smiled and pulled the mermaid into a quick kiss before she opened her bedroom door so they could leave.

"I saw lots of animals, like you said. Never any lions, but there were lots of others." Jemma practically skipped down the steps. They had once been a great obstacle for her, but now they were just as easy as the water. It was nothing compared to the large structures she's climbed on the islands.

"There were lots of big animals..." Jemma held her arms out in a wide circle to show how big around the creatures had been. "They had skin, but also a big rock on their backs. I think it was meant to protect them." Jemma was already beginning to babble before they even left the house.  

"There were also lots of birds, and big creatures with horns." Jemma told her.

"So...turtles?" Skye asked and chuckled at the way Jemma was describing everything.  She pulled out her phone and types in turtles and held the pictures up to Jemma as they walked out the door.  

"Like these, Jems?  I really wonder where you were.  What did it look like?  You have to tell me everything!"  Skye was very excited and she honestly couldn't wait to hear all about Jemma's adventures.  The only thing Skye had to show for her entire year was the sculpture, which reminded her, "When you've called your pod we have to go to the pier!! Remember how I said I finally got your scales right?  Well, that's where they are.  I want to show you!  I think you'll really love it!"  Skye interrupted, suddenly just as excited as Jemma was to get out and about.  Her sleepiness was gone and now she felt very well rested and ready to go.

"I would love to see." Jemma beamed. The thought that Skye had finally managed to finish her goal and that it was seemingly on display made Jemma very proud. "I can't wait." Jemma didn't even realize she was constantly a few steps ahead of Skye until she had to stop on the sidewalk and wait a moment for her to catch up. She never thought she would have been this good at walking.

"Skye, can you tell me the name of something? It was like a pile of sand, but much bigger and on land and made of rock." Jemma made a triangle shape as she talked, animatedly using her hands to help explain. "It was very hard to climb, and when I got to the top there was liquid fire inside. It was very hot." Jemma said. She hadn't gone inside the steaming middle, her instincts were at least good enough to tell her not to do that.

"A big triangle of dirt...full of fire?" Skye had to stop for a second, eyebrow raised both in confusion and worry.

"A volcano?!  You're telling me you climbed to the top of a volcano?!!  Jemma that's dangerous!"  Skye grabbed her hand and held it tightly.  She was both very impressed and now very anxious, even though she knew it was over and done with now.

"I mean...that's also incredibly impressive...that's pretty much like scaling a mountain without climbing gear..."  Skye realized Jemma wouldn't know what she meant so she backtracked again for her as they walked hand in hand, "That's really cool that you learned to do all those things Jemma, but maybe next time you see a volcano, don't climb it.  They are dangerous.  You could die.  We can go climb the little mountain here if you want?"

Jemma held Skye's hand just as tightly and walked along with her. She liked that Skye was still being cute and protective even though these were things that had happened months ago. She just nodded happily at Skye's idea to go hiking and thought about bringing Elizabeth along if she didn't want mind giving up some alone time with Skye.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, Skye! I have an apprentice now." She grinned, pressing into Skye's side. "Her name is Elizabeth, and she's just dying to meet you. I could hardly convince her to stay behind when I came. I told her all about you and I've been teaching her everything I know about land." Jemma explained, proud of her new job and her little one. There was definitely a connection there. Now that she was an adult, she could feel that parental pull towards all the children that everyone had felt towards her before.

Skye smiled at the mention of the other mermaid and nodded, "An apprentice?  That's great Jemma, I would love to meet her. Though...maybe not today?  I kind of want you all to myself, if that's OK with you.  Tomorrow is good though, I don't have class and I can probably skip out on the diner.  I know mom will get someone to cover my shift if I tell her I'm going out.  She'll probably be so excited I'm doing something g else she'll cover it herself," She chuckled and walked happily along down the road till they reached the beach access.  It was only a short walk from there to where they first met.  Skye knew the walk well.

"You know...I still came here every day...even though I knew you weren't coming.  I don't know why, I just...I couldn't bring myself to not go."

"Skye..." Jemma began getting a little choked up again. She didn't want to, she wanted to be happy that she was here, but the thought of Skye sitting here alone on the beach every day made her heart break.

"I still built a few rock towers... You know, here and there." Jemma sighed and shared her own little sad tidbit. Even though she had known Skye would never be able to show up, she still made them occasionally when she spent time on shore.

She sighed, but she smiled too, and when Skye saw the wall of rocks, her smile grew even wider.  "Well now I can sit at the beach and you can build all the rock towers you want and we can spend every day together.” Skye leaned over and kissed her cheek and stood back.

"Alright miss "I've climbed volcanoes", get your butt up over those rocks," Skye tickled the mermaids sides to burry her towards the wall and then quickly climbed up and over herself, landing on the other side and waiting for Jemma.  

It felt good to be in this place again, and with the mermaid.  It felt right.  It felt like home.  Skye was going to cherish every moment of it.

Jemma giggled and ran for the rocks. It was strange entering the grotto Skye's way, she'd done it very few times before. She naturally found a few footholds and hoisted herself up over the rocks with no trouble, landing solidly on the ground behind her partner.

"Give me just a moment." Jemma told Skye, wandering close to the waves. She was careful not to touch them, as she didn't want her tail back quite yet. She imagined she looked like Skye running away from the waves, and the thought made her smile.

It would be a little harder to project sound from above the surface of the ocean, so Jemma cupped her hands and put them near her face as she called, clicking and alerting her entire pod that they should move back into the caves and that Jemma would join them sometime soon. When she was finished, Jemma backed away from the waves, but not before collecting several large, flat stones and stacking them out of the water's reach.

"I feel like everything has just fallen back into place." Jemma admitted.

“We’re back together now.  Everything _is_ in place,” Skye grinned and walked up behind her and wrapped her arms around Jemma’s waist, holding her close and looking over her shoulder out at the water and then down to the tower.  
            “I missed those sounds you make…” Skye turned her head to kiss Jemma on the cheek before she let her go, reluctantly, and grabbed her hand with her own, “Well, now we can do whatever you want.  Are you hungry? Would you like breakfast? We can go eat at the diner, since it’s near the pier, then I can show you what I made?  Then after...I dunno.  We could do anything.  What do you want to see?”

"Well I definitely want to see your artwork, and breakfast sounds good." Jemma followed after Skye back towards the rocks. She gave a glance over her shoulder at the small rock tower and smiled. Everything really was going back to normal, better than normal actually.

Jemma needed no help at all getting over the rocks, in fact, she almost made it over faster than Skye. Still holding onto Skye's hand, Jemma let her partner lead her back to the diner. She'd only been there once and there was no way she could have remembered the way after a whole year.

The walk to the diner didn't take long and the breakfast crowd had already left, now the only customers who remained were those who were more of a brunch crowd.  Skye held the door open for Jemma and grinned.

"Hey there dear, you got a friend?" A woman who looked similar to Skye came around the counter, two trays on her arm as she headed to a table.

"Yeah mom.  This is Jemma," Skye smiled, a little blush on her face.

"I'll be over to meet you in just a minute," the woman smiled to Jemma and moved on through the diner to another table.

"So...that's my mom," Skye grinned and lead Jemma over to an empty booth.  She let go of her hand then so they could sit on opposite sides and face each other.  She realized she had still been holding her hand when they walked in.  Her mother had probably seen. No doubt she would get the full twenty question drill.

Skye's mother walked back over to the table, setting two menus down and smiling to the two girls, looking lastly to Jemma and held her hand out.

"Hello dear.  I'm Jiaying, Skye's mother.  It's so nice to see she's making new friends," she winked to her daughter then, who blushed a deeper shade of red.

"It's wonderful to meet you, Jemma.  You better keep this girl in line and make her have some fun.  All she does is work work work."

"Uhm...about that mom.  Can you get my shift today covered?!"

"Absolutely, babe.  It's taken care of.  You two have fun.  Now, what do you want to drink?"

Jemma stared at Jiaying's hand for a moment, nervous about meeting Skye's family and not really sure what Jiaying was doing. Several guesses flashed through her mind before she finally realized it was a human way of greeting. Skye never did this, but their meeting had been a little out of the ordinary. Jemma reached out and shook her hand, smiling with relief when it seemed like she was right.

"It's lovely to meet you." Jemma replied, pulling her hand back to her side when Jiaying's grip loosened. She couldn't help but think back to when she and Skye had first become partners. It didn't seem as though she'd ever get to meet her, but here she was. She exchanged a small smile with Skye, who she knew was probably thrilled about this whole situation too.

"Just a water for me, thank you." Jemma finally ordered, looking to Skye and smiling again afterwards.

"Excellent.  Cream soda for you, babe?"  Jiaying asked, turning to her daughter who nodded. The woman left then and Skye released the breath she had been holding.

"She likes you, I think," she chuckled and reached across the table with one of her hands so she could continue to hold Jemma's.  Having been away from her for so long, Skye felt she needed constant contact to catch up.

"She can...tell about people.  It's kinda weird.  She only met Ward a handful of times and she never knew what he did, but she sure didn't like him.  So I'm pretty sure she likes you.  Let's not tell her about the whole...practically married part yet though.  Although she will probably ask me a whole lot of questions tonight."

Skye noticed her mom coming back and she let go of Jemma's hand, putting it back in her lap as her mother set the drinks down.

"You two know what you want?"

"No mom, I think we need a few more minutes, thanks."  Skye smiled and her mother nodded and wandered off again.

"Anyway, I don't even remember what you had last time.  So, tell me what you think sounds alright and I can explain it...or better yet, tell me what you like and I'll try and find something like that. Or you can just choose at random and see how it goes!"

"I'll try whatever you have." Jemma decided. She was elated and still focussed on the fact that Skye's mother liked her. She was so happy, and she was pretty sure she liked Skye's mother as well, if first impressions said anything. Their meeting was exponentially better than Skye and Bobbi's, that was for sure.

"Well lets see...since its breakfast...lets have some ham and toast and some eggs?" Skye smiled and proceeded to explain that each tasted good.  She decided to get a side of fruit too, in case Jemma didn't like any of the other food.  Fruit was always a good go-to.  She remembered Jemma had liked all the fruit she had brought her before.

When her mother came back, Skye ordered for them and her mother continued to smile as she went back into the kitchen.  Skye now, was leaning on one of her elbows on the table, hand holding her face up as she just stared at Jemma.

"So...miss explorer that climbs dangerous rocks, tell me what else you've done.  Tell me about Elizabeth.  Tell me everything."

"Oh, Skye, it was incredible. I was on land much more than I was in water, and there were so many things I wanted to show you or ask you about." Jemma sighed, remembering her conflicting feelings towards the island. She'd been so immensely amazed, but at first she'd had no one to show, and no one to ask when she wanted to know more.

"I took up an apprentice after a few months, once I knew my way around the islands. She was just as eager as I was, I could see it in her eyes." Jemma grinned just thinking about it. When the younger girl learned that they were coming back here, she practically begged Jemma to let her meet her partner. "She's absolutely fascinated by you, by the way." She laughed and imagined how Elizabeth would react to finally meeting the strange member of her pod she'd only seen a picture of.

"Oh, and there were these great big lizards, they basked out on the black rocks with us. They were strange, like they were always sick. They kept sneezing, especially after they swam with us." Jemma explained. They really had been quite odd creatures.

Skye felt flattered that the young mermaid wanted to meet her so badly.  She only hoped she lived up to whatever hype Jemma had let build up in the child's head.  Skye didn't think she was that interesting, but then again, to a mermaid who had never seen a human before, it might be like a human who had never seen a mermaid before.  

"Well, you can let her meet me soon.  Just not today.  I'm selfish and want you all to myself.  We could do the weekend though?  You remember me telling you about weekends?  Saturday and Sunday?  I won't have class and I wasn't scheduled for the diner so on Saturday we can take her hiking if you want.  Get her a good view of the island."  Skye offered while she pulled her phone out.  "It's only three days away.  Plenty of time to prepare and all that..."

She was looking at the screen rather intently, having typed something in about sneezing water lizards.

"Marine Iguanas...live only on the Galapagos Islands?!  Oh my god, that's so cool! "  coupled with giant turtles and volcanoes, that had to have been where Jemma was for the past year.  She handed her phone to Jemma so that she could see the picture of the lizard to confirm.  "I can't believe that's where you were...it's so far away, but that's so awesome.  I'd kill to go there and sketch some stuff!"

"I wish you could have been there." Jemma said, sliding the phone back to Skye after confirming that it was in fact the correct lizard. It didn't sound sad, though, which was an improvement. It was more of her longing to share things with her than her depression about their separation now that they were back together. Who knew, maybe one day Skye could travel. Anything was possible, Jemma did know that.

"And Elizabeth will be thrilled to go hiking this weekend. I will be as well." Jemma smiled and reached across the table for Skye's hand, holding it gently between her fingers. She still couldn't get over how special Skye's hands made her feel. They were different from anyone in the pod's. They were gentle and precise, yet slightly calloused and rough from her artwork.

There was a new look to one of her hands, a long, messed up looking scar, now faded back to normal color from pink, where she had accidentally burnt the shit out of her hand with the torch.  Skye smiled though and nodded, "I really am excited to meet her.  Sounds like you have a great job, walking around on land.  Exploring everything.  I think I can find a lot of things for you guys to explore.  This isn't the Galapagos, but there's probably a lot more humans here for you to learn from too," She winked and gave Jemma's hands a squeeze.  A couple more minutes passed and the food was brought to the table.  Skye's mother sat next to her and had a slice of ham before kissing her daughter's cheek and excusing herself to take other orders.

"Well, ham and eggs is one of my many weaknesses, including you.  What do you think?"

"This is terrific." Jemma told Skye, shoving another bite of eggs into her mouth. Last time Jemma had been here Skye had taught her how to use a fork, and she used it to the best of her ability, but she was still very awkward with it. Instead she switched to the toast, taking a few bites as she tried everything.

"I don't know how you humans do it." Jemma laughed. So far she'd liked pretty much everything Skye had given her, and it was ridiculous how many options they had for food. Jemma wasn't complaining, though, she was quite hungry after her finally finishing her long swim the day before.

Skye laughed and ate some of her own, opting to put her ham and eggs on her own slice of toast like an open faced sandwich instead.  She was glad Jemma liked the food and was enjoying herself.  Skye wanted her to love everything about being on land with her, and once Skye finally got to tell Jemma her little secret, maybe she could learn some more things about the ocean where Jemma lived too.

“How we do what?  Eat?  We love to eat,” She winked and took a long gulp of her drink before she finished her toast sandwich and went for the last piece of ham.

“Maybe we can bring Elizabeth?  If she feels up to being surrounded by so many people.  You know, once she’s used to things.  Trying human foods is a good learning experience.  Don’t you think, Jems?” Skye winked.

"Of course." Jemma nodded enthusiastically. Her grin probably wouldn't be going away for a very long time. She had a feeling she was getting everything she'd ever wanted, probably even more. Her old self, the mermaid that swam dangerously close to boats, would never believe how far she'd come.

"She'll probably be terrified, but she'll get used to it." Jemma snickered, just imagining the younger girl, who always wanted to meet a human, come face to face with Skye and the rest of her world. When they both finished eating, Jemma grabbed for Skye's hands again.

"You said you finally got my scales right." Jemma said it quietly, so no one around them could hear, just in case. She wouldn't risk outing herself again. "Can I see now?"

“Absolutely,” Skye nodded with a smile and pulled one of her hands back so she could pick up her cream soda bottle and finish the liquid off.  She eventually had to take her other hand away to pull up her shirt and reach into her pockets to get out some money, which she placed on top of the check that Jiaying had brought while they had been eating.

“You girls leaving?” Jiaying asked as she came over after serving another table and scooped up the change and ticket.

“Yeah, Jemma and I are going to talk a walk to the pier while we are here,” Skye nodded outside, since the pier was only a couple blocks away.

“Sounds lovely.  You two have fun.  Jemma, it was lovely to meet you.  I hope I will be seeing more of you in the Johnson household,” The woman winked, which Skye didn’t noticed because she was too busy still blushing.  The redness on her cheeks only faded when her mother walked away into the back of the restaurant.

“You know, I think she definitely likes you,” the brunette chuckled and stood up from the booth and waited for Jemma before she grabbed up her hand again and walked the two of them out of the diner and turned down the sidewalk to head for the pier.

"Well I would hope so." Jemma chuckled, letting their linked hands swing between them slightly as they walked down the sidewalk. From what she knew already, Jemma liked Skye's mom too, which was great if she and Skye were going to spend forever with each other, and they were.

"I like her too. She seems nice." Jemma nodded affirmatively. Maybe someday she and Skye could tell her mother about her other life in the ocean, but that was a conversation for another day. She was sure neither of them wanted to risk revealing her identity to anyone, even Jiaying, after what had happened. It was too soon to consider.

They fell into comfortable silence after that, just enjoying each other's company. They didn't need to say anything to understand how much they were both appreciating the moment. Jemma swore right then she would never take being with Skye for granted ever again, because as she'd found out, it could be taken away at any moment.

Jemma was excited to see Skye's masterpiece. She'd seen a lot of Skye's art before, but it had been a very long time, and she had a feeling this was going to be even better than anything she'd ever made before if Skye said she finally achieved her long time goal.

“Alright, you’re going to have to close your eyes for this next bit, but I will lead you.  Don’t worry,” Skye said before they could turn to go down the pier past all the shops and the arcade and fair rides that she had taken her to so long ago.

“It’s just at the end of the pier.  I won’t let you bump into anyone,” Skye assured Jemma one more time before she smiled when she watched the mermaid close her eyes.  She took an extra firm grip on her hand and led her slowly through the sparse crown, checking every so often to make sure that her eyes were still shut.

It took a few minutes, but soon the artist had Jemma positioned just so in front of her sculpture.  Skye released her hand and slowly moved behind her and placed both hands on Jemma’s shoulders and inhaled deeply, “Alright, you can open them.”

The mermaid sculpture had only been outside, exposed to the salty sea air and elements, but it was already beginning to get splotches of green here and there and Skye thought it was more beautiful than when it had been all shiny copper.  It was bolted into the pier floor and was taller than the two of them put together but the morning sun shone on what was left of the untarnished copper and the sea glass, causing colored lights to appear on the wood beneath their feet.  The one aspect of the statue Skye had protected was still as shiny as ever.  The starfish in the mermaids hand remained as bright as when she had first finished polishing it and it pleased her even more.  She was the most proud of this work than of any other she had ever done and she couldn’t wait to hear what Jemma thought of the tail she had so painstakingly created with the shaved glass.

When Jemma opened her eyes, for the first few moments, she just stared in shock. She had been expecting a sketch, or a painting, but what she saw was at least a thousand times better. The statue was so lifelike, and her eyes almost couldn't take it all in at once. She looked it over bit by bit, from the copper mermaid itself to the starfish, and finally down to the tail. It looked so much like her own, and it amazed her beyond belief. She couldn't imagine how long it had taken to carve each scale and assemble them in such an intricate way, just like her tail.

Jemma was proud. She was so, so proud of Skye for creating something so unbelievably wonderful and meaningful and beautiful all at once. Her heart soared at the gesture Skye made with the piece, it was like an actual, physical expression of how much Skye loved her, and it made happy tears well up in her eyes.

"Skye, I..." Jemma couldn't even come up with words, she just put one of her own hands over Skye's on her shoulder. "I love it, it's absolutely amazing." She finished, still staring in awe. It was unbelievable, but it was there, and Skye had made it. She wandered closer to it and let her fingers run over the sea glass, feeling the pattern. She ran across the spot with the missing stone, and she knew exactly what it meant.

When she finally got over her complete and utter amazement, Jemma came to a realization. Her brows furrowed slightly and Skye would be able to tell she knew something didn't quite add up.

"I didn't bring you this much sea glass..." Jemma shook her head, still resting her hand on the statue. She knew what that meant, but somehow she still couldn't comprehend it.

“No, you didn’t,” Skye was grinning, although sheepishly, and moved over in front of Jemma to stand next to her creation.

“I had to go and get some myself.  I got an acquaintance from my art class to go scuba diving with me and help me get some sea glass since I gave him some extra scrap metal I found along the beach,” She confessed, her cheeks turning ever pinker.

“It was terrifying without you and I’m sad that my first time actually looking under the surface of the ocean was with someone I hardly know, but I needed to do it…to finish.  To make it perfect,” Skye turned around and laid a hand on her statue as well and smiled faintly, like she was remembering something fondly.

“That’s not an invitation to drag me into the water, just so you know,” She chuckled.

Skye was acting like it wasn't a huge deal, but Jemma was swelling with pride. She wished she'd been there for Skye's first swim, yes, but she was still immensely happy to hear that she had gotten over her fear at least somewhat, enough to actually get in the water on her own accord.

"You know enough about mermaids to know that sirens don't actually exist, right?" Jemma joked. While she was laughing and teasing, she did want Skye to know just how much that meant to her. For Skye to get in the water to finish this project, for them, meant a lot to her.

"I'm really glad you got in the water. I love you so much, you know that?" Jemma's cheeks were tinted pink when she said the last part, but it was one hundred percent true, no doubt about it. She moved closer to Skye until they were pressed against each other, and she lightly grabbed onto Skye's necklace, also holding onto her own with her other hand. She could almost feel the actual connection there, but she also knew she didn't need any kind of mermaid magic to know she was completely and utterly in love with Skye.

“I do…” Skye said quietly, her gaze lost in the expanse of Jemma’s eyes as she intently to her words, “I can feel it,” She finished, when Jemma grabbed their necklaces.  She had been able to even when Jemma had been gone for so long.  Under all the other emotions, the sadness, the anger, the curiosity, the joy, the satisfaction…she’d felt the love.  She had felt all of it the entire time and she felt it now.

“I love you too, Jemma.  I’m not ever letting you out of my sight again,” She breathed lightly before leaning down and kissing her.  Skye’s hands held Jemma’s head gently, but their grip there was enough for the mermaid to know the human wasn’t going to let her go anywhere, at least not anytime soon.

Jemma grinned into the kiss and let her hands move down and settle at Skye's waist, comfortably holding her close. She didn't want to ever leave Skye's sight again either. They were going to be together for the rest of her lives if she had anything to say about it.

"Wait-" Jemma suddenly stopped them and pulled away, a surprised kind of concern on her face. She looked up at Skye, her expression completely serious. "How long do humans live?" She questioned, worry all over her face.

“What?” Skye’s brows furrowed in confusion as she looked at the concern on Jemma’s face but when she asked the question Skye just didn’t seem to get it.

“I mean like…eighty years maybe?  Some people live to ninety or a hundred but they’re pretty few and far between.  Why?” She was quiet for a moment then fear crossed her own face, “Oh god, no, you’re like a mythical creature and shit!  Please tell me you’re not actually like a thousand years old right now?!  Are you?”

Jemma's worry gave way to laughter when Skye's concern came up to the surface. It was a valid question, and Jemma found it a little odd that neither of them had asked the age or lifespan of the other during all of their Q&A sessions with each other about humans and mermaids.

"I've lived for twenty three cycles, twelve moons each. I don't know your time for it." Jemma frowned, remembering their different ways of telling time. Skye seemed to think mermaids lived a lot longer than humans, and the thought that Skye would pass on much earlier than her was scary, especially after everything they'd been through. "We live for about one hundred cycles." She told Skye, anxiously waiting for a comparison.

“So you’re twenty-three years old then,” Skye’s sigh of relief was probably a little heavier than she had intended it to be, but she still had a smile on her face, “That’s good to know.  You’re actually older than I am.  I’ll be twenty-two in July, in the summer.”  She leaned over and kissed Jemma’s cheek.

“Some people live to be a hundred but I don’t think it’s a whole lot.  I guess humans live about eighty to ninety cycles…but that’s alright.  Maybe I’ll live to be a hundred with you!”

"I'll make sure you live to be a hundred." Jemma smiled softly, grabbing for Skye's hands again. She couldn't seem to get enough of her, but she could tell Skye didn't mind one bit. She was more at ease now that she knew mermaids and humans lived at least close to the same amount of time. The worry that one of them would live for much longer was depressing, so she was glad they truly would be together to rest of their lives. "We do have magic on our side, after all." Jemma grinned and stood on her toes some, pressing her lips against Skye's and practically melting into the kiss. There was nothing in the world that could make her happier.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it. Sorry this last one took so long! Everyone's comments and Kudos encouraged us and we hope you continue to leave them on this and future works. Thank you!


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